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• Taiwan and Bulgaria deny involvement in the supply of pagers that exploded in Lebanon, causing 37 deaths and 3,000 injuries.
• The pagers were traced back to a Budapest-based company, BAC, licensed to use the brand of Taiwan-based Gold Apollo.
• Taiwan's Economy Minister, Kuo Jyh-huei, stated that the components were not made in Taiwan, while Bulgaria's state security agency, DANS, denied any involvement.
• The incident highlights the potential misuse of technology in conflicts and the importance of stringent checks on the global tech supply chain.

In a recent development that has sent shockwaves across the globe, authorities in Taiwan and Bulgaria have categorically denied any involvement in the supply chain of thousands of pagers that detonated in Lebanon, causing a deadly blow to Hezbollah. The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, coupled with another attack on Wednesday involving exploding hand-held radios used by Hezbollah, has resulted in the death of 37 people and left approximately 3,000 wounded in Lebanon.

The mystery surrounding how or when the pagers were weaponised and remotely detonated remains unsolved. The search for answers has involved several countries, including Taiwan, Bulgaria, Norway, and Romania. Security sources have pointed fingers at Israel for the pager explosions, escalating the tension in an already growing conflict between the two sides. However, Israel has refrained from making any direct comments on the attacks.

The pagers were traced back to a Budapest-based company, BAC, which holds a license to use the brand of Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. However, Gold Apollo has clarified that it did not manufacture the devices used in the attack.

Taiwan's Stance on the Incident

Taiwan's Economy Minister, Kuo Jyh-huei, further emphasized this point, stating that the components, mainly low-end integrated circuits and batteries, were not made in Taiwan. He assured that the case is being thoroughly investigated by judicial authorities.

In response to the investigation, Taiwan's Foreign Minister, Lin Chia-lung, has urged their missions abroad to raise their security awareness and has committed to exchanging relevant information with other countries. He also denied having met with the de facto Israeli ambassador to express concern about the case.

As Taiwanese authorities delve deeper into any potential link between its sprawling global tech supply chains and the devices used in the attacks in Lebanon, Gold Apollo's president and founder, Hsu Ching-kuang, was questioned by prosecutors. Another person questioned was Teresa Wu, the sole employee of a company called Apollo System, who was one of Hsu's contacts for the deal with BAC.

Bulgaria's Position and Ongoing Investigations

Bulgaria, too, has found itself at the center of investigations after local media reported that Sofia-based Norta Global Ltd was involved in selling the pagers. However, Bulgaria's state security agency, DANS, has categorically denied these claims. It stated that it had indisputably established that no pagers used in the Lebanon attack were imported to, exported from, or made in Bulgaria. It also clarified that neither Norta nor its Norwegian owner had traded, sold, or bought the pagers within Bulgaria's jurisdiction.

The Shilin District Prosecutors Office in Taipei has confirmed that it had questioned two people as witnesses and was given consent to conduct searches of their firms' four locations in Taiwan as part of its investigation. The incident has drawn parallels with historical events where technology has been weaponized for destructive purposes. However, the scale and sophistication of this attack, involving the remote detonation of everyday devices like pagers and radios, is unprecedented.

The Iran-aligned Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel, which has not claimed responsibility for the detonations. The two sides have been engaged in cross-border warfare since conflict in Gaza erupted last October.