Taiwan says it did not make Hezbollah pager parts

The Taiwanese government has officially stated that none of the components in the pagers used by the militant group Hezbollah, which were involved in the recent explosions in Lebanon, were manufactured in Taiwan. The AR-924 pager, which was allegedly used in the attacks, had labels indicating that it was produced by a Taiwanese company named Gold Apollo. However, the company has firmly denied any involvement in the production of the devices that were used in the attacks. The explosions, which occurred earlier this week, resulted in the tragic loss of 12 lives, including two children, and left nearly 3,000 individuals injured. This incident, along with another attack involving exploding walkie-talkies, has been attributed to Israel and represents a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two parties. Taiwan's economy minister, Kuo Jyh-huei, addressed reporters on Friday, asserting that the components for Hezbollah's pagers were not produced by their country. He also mentioned that a judicial investigation is currently underway to uncover the truth behind the situation. Taiwan's foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, echoed these sentiments, stating that Taiwan has never exported this specific model of pager. Earlier in the week, Hsu Ching-Kuang, the head of Gold Apollo, denied any connection between his company and the attacks, explaining that he had licensed his trademark to a Hungarian company called BAC Consulting, allowing them to use the Gold Apollo name on their own pagers. The BBC has made attempts to contact BAC but has not yet received a response. Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono, the CEO of BAC, informed the US news outlet NBC that she was unaware of the situation and denied that her company manufactured the pagers. The Hungarian government has also stated that BAC does not have any manufacturing or operational site within the country. However, a report from the New York Times suggested that BAC was merely a shell company acting as a front for Israel, according to information from Israeli intelligence officers. In a separate incident on Wednesday, another series of explosions involving walkie-talkies resulted in the deaths of 20 individuals and injuries to at least 450, as reported by Lebanon's health ministry. A Japanese company, Icom, which previously produced handheld radios, has distanced itself from the walkie-talkies that bear its logo, stating that they ceased production of those devices a decade ago. Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, has accused Israel of what they describe as 'this criminal aggression' and has vowed to seek 'just retribution'. The Israeli military has refrained from commenting on the matter. The ongoing conflict between the two sides has intensified since the outbreak of hostilities in Gaza last October. The difficulty in identifying the manufacturers of the devices has highlighted the complexities surrounding the situation.