Taiwanese pager manufacturer reveals new details following Lebanon explosions

Shafaq News/ In a coordinated cyberattack against Lebanon's Hezbollah, pagers used by the armed group were reportedly manufactured by a European distributor called BAC of the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo, according to the company's founder and president, Hsu Ching-Kuang, in a statement made on Wednesday.

At least 11 people were killed and nearly 4,000 wounded when the pagers detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday.

"The product was not ours. It was only that it had our brand on it," Hsu Ching-Kuang told reporters on Wednesday.

The company said in a statement that the AR-924 model was produced and sold by BAC.

"We only provide brand trademark authorization and have no involvement in the design or manufacturing of this product," the statement said.

Hsu earlier said that the firm with the license was based in Europe but later declined to comment on BAC's location.

While Hsu was meeting with reporters, police officials arrived at the company.

Hezbollah had instructed its members to avoid using mobile phones since the beginning of the Gaza conflict, instead relying on a proprietary telecommunications network to avoid potential Israeli surveillance.

Hsu said that he "did not know how the pagers could have been rigged to explode."

Iran-backed Hezbollah said it was carrying out a "security and scientific investigation" into the causes of the blasts.

Israel's Mossad spy agency planted explosives inside 5,000 pagers imported by Lebanese group Hezbollah months before Tuesday's detonations, according to a senior Lebanese security source and another source.

Hsu said Gold Apollo was also a victim of the incident.

"We may not be a large company but we are a responsible one," he said. "This is very embarrassing."