Gold Apollo, a Taiwan-based manufacturer, has denied involvement in the production of explosives-laden pagers that detonated across Lebanon, resulting in the tragic deaths of nine people and nearly 3,000 injuries.
The company’s response follows media reports that Israel’s Mossad spy agency had allegedly planted explosives inside Taiwan-made pagers, leading to mass devastation in Lebanon.
The explosions, which also affected parts of Syria, reportedly involved pagers used by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. These devices, once a simple communication tool, were rigged with explosives, causing destruction and chaos. Hezbollah has often used pagers as a low-tech means of communication to avoid detection by Israeli surveillance.
Despite the allegations that the pagers were made by Gold Apollo, the company has firmly denied these claims. In a press briefing held at the company’s office in New Taipei, Hsu Ching-Kuang, the founder and president of Gold Apollo, clarified the situation.
He emphasised that the devices involved in the incident were not made by his company, even though they bore the Gold Apollo brand. According to Hsu, a European firm named BAC, which holds a licence to use the Taiwan firm’s brand, was responsible for the manufacturing of the pagers.
Hsu expressed deep embarrassment over the incident, stating that while Gold Apollo is not a large company, it takes its responsibilities seriously. He, however, did not provide further details about the European company involved or its location. He maintained that his company had no knowledge of how the pagers were rigged with explosives, distancing Gold Apollo from the tragic events.
The Reuters news agency, which first reported this development, mentioned that police arrived at the Gold Apollo office in New Taipei while Hsu was addressing reporters.
The presence of law enforcement suggests that the incident is under investigation in Taiwan, even though the pagers in question were reportedly produced elsewhere under a brand licence.
A Lebanese security source had previously told Reuters that Hezbollah ordered around 5,000 pagers from Gold Apollo, adding to the confusion surrounding the origin of the explosive devices.
The source identified one of the exploded pagers as the AP924 variant, which is consistent with the design and branding of Gold Apollo products. However, the company’s statement reiterated that the AR-924 model, the one implicated in the blasts, was produced and sold by BAC, a European entity.
This situation has cast a spotlight on the complexities of global manufacturing and licensing agreements, where products bearing one company’s brand might be produced by another firm entirely.
Gold Apollo’s role in the incident seems to be limited to trademark authorization, with no involvement in the design or manufacturing of the pagers used in the attacks.
The blasts, which occurred on Tuesday, rocked not only Lebanon but also Syria, with nearly 100 explosions reported in Syrian territories as well. The simultaneous nature of the detonations suggests a highly coordinated attack, further fueling tensions in the already volatile region.
Hezbollah has long been engaged in an armed conflict with Israel, particularly following Hamas’s October 7 attack, and this latest incident has escalated the hostilities.
While Gold Apollo’s denial may clear up some aspects of the case, the larger issue of how these devices were rigged with explosives remains unanswered. Investigations are likely to continue as authorities in Lebanon, Syria, and possibly Taiwan probe deeper into the origins of the deadly pagers.
As of now, Hezbollah has not issued any statements regarding the manufacturer’s denial, and Israel has also remained silent on the accusations that its intelligence agency, Mossad, was responsible for planting the explosives.
With tensions running high, the international community is watching closely for further developments in this ongoing saga. The tragic loss of life and the scale of destruction have once again highlighted the devastating consequences of the ongoing conflict in the region.
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