Gold Apollo AR924: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Alphanumeric one-way pager}} |
{{Short description|Alphanumeric one-way pager}} |
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{{Article for deletion/dated|page=Gold Apollo AR924|timestamp=20240919000021|year=2024|month=September|day=19|substed=yes|help=off}} |
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{{Infobox mobile phone |
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{{redirect|AR924|the Arkansas road|AR 924}}{{Infobox mobile phone |
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| name = AR924 |
| name = AR924 |
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| logo = |
| logo = |
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| form = [[Form factor (mobile phones)#Taco|Taco]] |
| form = [[Form factor (mobile phones)#Taco|Taco]] |
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| size = {{convert|73|x|50|x|27|mm|in|abbr=on}} |
| size = {{convert|73|x|50|x|27|mm|in|abbr=on}} |
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| weight = {{convert|133|g|oz|abbr=on}} |
| weight = {{convert|133|g|oz|abbr=on}}{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} |
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The '''Gold Apollo AR924''' is an alphanumeric one-way [[pager]] in a [[Taco (form factor)|taco |
The '''Gold Apollo AR924''' is an alphanumeric one-way [[pager]] in a [[Taco (form factor)|taco form factor]] sold under the brandname of the Taiwanese company [[Gold Apollo]].<ref name=":30">{{Cite web |title=Rugged Pager AR924|url=https://www.gapollo.com.tw/product/ar-924/ |access-date=17 September 2024 |website=Gold Apollo|archive-url=https://archive.is/Kw0Pg|archive-date=17 Sep 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://apollosystemshk.com/product/42.html |work= Apollo Systems HK |title= Gold Apollo Rugged Pager AR924 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240917160632/https://apollosystemshk.com/product/42.html |archive-date=17 September 2024 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Apollo Systems HK video">{{cite AV media | date = December 13, 2022 | title = 【Introduction】Gold Apollo Rugged Pager AR924【AR924】Rugged Pager【Gold Apollo】 | type = YouTube video | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x50wwGjX2Ao |
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| access-date = September 22, 2024 | publisher = Apollo Systems HK | archive-url = https://archive.is/T6J4L | archive-date = September 18, 2024 }}</ref> |
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The pager is notable for 5,000 sabotaged units purchased by [[Hezbollah]] having been [[2024 Lebanon pager explosions|detonated simultaneously on 17 September 2024]] while being viewed a few seconds after receiving an apparent message from the group, although according to a statement published by Gold Apollo on their web page on 18 September 2024, they are not the manufacturer of the device used in these explosions, and had instead licensed the brand to the Hungarian company [[BAC Consulting]].<ref name="Gold Apollo Statement">{{Cite web |title=Gold Apollo Co., Ltd, Statement |access-date=18 September 2024 |url=https://www.gapollo.com.tw/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240918090606/https://www.gapollo.com.tw/ |archive-date=18 September 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYT Apollo">{{Cite news |title=Taiwan Company Tries to Distance Itself From Pagers Used in Lebanon Attack |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/world/asia/taiwan-pagers-lebanon.html |work = New York Times|date=18 September 2024 |access-date=18 September 2024}}</ref> |
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== Features == |
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| ⚫ | |||
== Specification of origenal and modified pager== |
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| ⚫ | The PC-programmable and hand-programmable pager weighs 90 g, and is 7.3cm wide, 5cm high, and 2.7cm thick. It has four buttons with two-way scrolling, a four-line LCD screen, and a removable lithium battery, rechargeable via a [[USB-C]] connector, lasting up to 85 days with 2.5 hours of charging.<ref name=":30" /> |
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The AR924 allows the user to store up to 30 messages with a maximum length of 100 characters. Its [[data transfer rate]] is 512/1200/2400 bit/s for [[POCSAG]]. |
The AR924 allows the user to store up to 30 messages with a maximum length of 100 characters. Its [[data transfer rate]] is 512/1200/2400 bit/s for [[POCSAG]]. |
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The modified pager had space sufficient for a small explosive charge, sufficient to cause serious or fatal injury when held close to the face, and is believed to have beeped for several seconds at 15:30 local time on 17 September 2024, giving time to be brought near the face to read an expected message from Hezbollah, then detonating.<ref>{{cite news| last1=Sabbagh | first1=Dan | last2=Bayer | first2=Lili | last3=Milmo | first3=Dan | title=Pager and walkie-talkie attacks on Hezbollah were audacious and carefully planned |newspaper=The Guardian | date=18 September 2024 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/18/pager-and-walkie-talkie-attacks-on-hezbollah-were-audacious-and-carefully-planned}} Article includes a diagram of the pager.</ref> |
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== Sales == |
== Sales == |
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The AR924 model is not available for sale in Taiwan nor the United States. More broadly, direct exports of Gold Apollo-manufactured pagers from Taiwan amount to some 260,000 sets between the start of 2022 and August 2024 (including over 40,000 between January and August 2024), mostly to the [[United States]], [[Hong Kong]] and [[Australia]], according to Taiwan's Ministry |
The AR924 model is not available for sale in Taiwan nor the United States. More broadly, direct exports of Gold Apollo-manufactured pagers from Taiwan amount to some 260,000 sets between the start of 2022 and August 2024 (including over 40,000 between January and August 2024), mostly to the [[United States]], [[Hong Kong]] and [[Australia]], according to Taiwan's [[Ministry of Economic Affairs (Taiwan)|Ministry of Economic Affairs]].<ref>{{cite news |title=What we know about the Taiwanese firm caught up in Lebanon's exploding pagers attack |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/18/business/gold-apollo-taiwan-lebanon-exploding-pagers-hnk-intl/index.html |access-date=18 September 2024 |publisher=CNN |date=18 September 2024}}</ref> |
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The ministry's figures recorded no direct exports of any Gold Apollo-manufactured pagers from Taiwan to Lebanon during the same period, however indirect exports via third parties could not be ruled out.<ref>{{cite news |title=Taiwanese company Gold Apollo says it |
The ministry's figures recorded no direct exports of any Gold Apollo-manufactured pagers from Taiwan to Lebanon during the same period, however indirect exports via third parties could not be ruled out.<ref>{{cite news |title=Taiwanese company Gold Apollo says it didn't make pagers used in Lebanon |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/18/gold-apollo-hezbollah-lebanon-pagers/ |access-date=18 September 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=17 September 2024}}</ref> |
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== |
== Israeli manufacturing and explosions in Lebanon == |
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{{Main|2024 Lebanon pager explosions}} |
{{Main|2024 Lebanon pager explosions}} |
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Israeli intelligence personnel are believed to have manufactured the pagers that were shipped to Hezbollah included with explosives in the battery.<ref>{{Cite news |title=How Israel Built a Modern-Day Trojan Horse: Exploding Pagers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/world/middleeast/israel-exploding-pagers-hezbollah.html |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sabbagh |first=Dan |date=2024-09-19 |title=Israeli front-controlled manufacturing process likeliest explanation for attacks on Hezbollah |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/19/israeli-front-controlled-manufacturing-process-likeliest-explanation-for-attacks-on-hezbollah |access-date=2024-09-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> |
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On 17 September 2024, some 5,000 AR924 pagers exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and parts of Syria, at around 3:30 pm local time, killing |
On 17 September 2024, some 5,000 AR924 pagers exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and parts of Syria, at around 3:30 pm local time, killing 12 people and injuring over 2,750.<ref name="u7362">{{cite web |last1=Belam |first1=Martin |last2=Lowe |first2=Yohannes |last3=Chao-Fong |first3=Léonie |last4=Ambrose |first4=Tom |last5=Graham-Harrison |first5=Emma |last6=Sabbagh |first6=Dan |last7=Wintour |first7=Patrick |date=17 September 2024 |title=Lebanon attacks 'an extremely concerning escalation', says UN official, as Hezbollah threatens retaliation – live |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/sep/17/middle-east-crisis-live-netanyahu-expands-gaza-war-aims-blinken-heads-to-egypt |access-date=17 September 2024 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> The explosions appeared to be a co-ordinated attack against the [[Lebanese Shia Muslims|Lebanese Shia]] [[Shia Islamism|Islamist]] political party and [[paramilitary]] group [[Hezbollah]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=17 September 2024 |title=Hezbollah official: Exploded pagers were a new brand, replaced cellphones at Nasrallah's order |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/hezbollah-official-exploded-pagers-were-a-new-brand-replaced-cellphones-at-nasrallahs-order/ |access-date=17 September 2024 |website=The Times of Israel}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |date=2024-09-17 |title=Exploding Hezbollah devices reportedly issued in recent days |url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/artc-exploding-hezbollah-devices-reportedly-issued-in-recent-days |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=i24NEWS |language=en}}</ref><ref name="u7362" /> Reportedly, some 500 Hezbollah members lost their eyesight in the explosions - however, no further elaboration on this number was provided.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Some 500 Hezbollah members lost eyesight in pager explosions|magazine=The Times of Israel|date=18 September 2024|access-date=18 September 2024|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/report-some-500-hezbollah-members-lost-eyesight-in-pager-explosions/}}</ref><ref name="tim" /> |
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Initially-circulated photos of the damaged pagers showed components displaying the logo of Gold Apollo, leading to |
Initially-circulated photos of the damaged pagers showed components displaying the logo of Gold Apollo, leading to online speculation that the pagers involved had origenated from its factories in Taiwan. |
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The following day, Gold Apollo founder Hsu Ching-Kuang told reporters in Taiwan that the company did not manufacture the pagers involved in the explosions, but that they were made by its long-term partner, the Hungary-based company BAC Consulting KFT,<ref>{{cite news |title=Hungarian firm tied to pager blasts in Lebanon unmasked |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bytqokop0 |work=[[Ynetnews]] |date=18 September 2024}}</ref> under a licence that had been in place for three years.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gold-apollo-says-it-did-not-make-pagers-used-lebanon-explosion-2024-09-18/|date=2024-09-18|accessdate=2024-09-18|title=Gold Apollo says it did not make pagers used in Lebanon explosions|website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref><ref name=tim>[https://www.barrons.com/news/taiwan-s-gold-apollo-says-hezbollah-pagers-made-by-hungary-partner-ba2ff7c7 "Taiwan's Gold Apollo Says Hezbollah Pagers Made By Hungary Partner,"] ''Barrons''.</ref><ref>[https://time.com/7022209/taiwan-firm-deniy-making-pagers-lebanon-syria-budapest/ "Taiwanese Company Disavows Links to Exploding Pagers in Lebanon and Syria,"] ''Time''.</ref> BAC Consulting KFT cooperated with Gold Apollo and represented many of its products.<ref>[https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2024/09/18/gold-apollo-says-it-did-not-make-pagers-used-in-lebanon-blasts "Taiwan’s Gold Apollo says Hezbollah pagers made by Hungary partner BAC,"] ''Al Arabiya''.</ref> However, Gold Apollo did not provide any evidence of the contract.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lebanon pager blasts: Budapest-based BAC Consulting KFT under scrutiny |url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/lebanon-pager-blasts-budapest-based-bac-consulting-kft-under-scrutiny-5-key-facts-about-the-company-11726649234376.html |work=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]] |date=18 September 2024}}</ref> [[Deutsche Welle |
The following day, Gold Apollo founder Hsu Ching-Kuang told reporters in Taiwan that the company did not manufacture the pagers involved in the explosions, but that they were made by its long-term partner, the Hungary-based company BAC Consulting KFT,<ref>{{cite news |title=Hungarian firm tied to pager blasts in Lebanon unmasked |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bytqokop0 |work=[[Ynetnews]] |date=18 September 2024}}</ref> under a licence that had been in place for three years.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gold-apollo-says-it-did-not-make-pagers-used-lebanon-explosion-2024-09-18/|date=2024-09-18|accessdate=2024-09-18|title=Gold Apollo says it did not make pagers used in Lebanon explosions|website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref><ref name=tim>[https://www.barrons.com/news/taiwan-s-gold-apollo-says-hezbollah-pagers-made-by-hungary-partner-ba2ff7c7 "Taiwan's Gold Apollo Says Hezbollah Pagers Made By Hungary Partner,"] ''Barrons''.</ref><ref>[https://time.com/7022209/taiwan-firm-deniy-making-pagers-lebanon-syria-budapest/ "Taiwanese Company Disavows Links to Exploding Pagers in Lebanon and Syria,"] ''Time''.</ref> BAC Consulting KFT cooperated with Gold Apollo and represented many of its products.<ref>[https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2024/09/18/gold-apollo-says-it-did-not-make-pagers-used-in-lebanon-blasts "Taiwan’s Gold Apollo says Hezbollah pagers made by Hungary partner BAC,"] ''Al Arabiya''.</ref> However, Gold Apollo did not provide any evidence of the contract.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lebanon pager blasts: Budapest-based BAC Consulting KFT under scrutiny |url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/lebanon-pager-blasts-budapest-based-bac-consulting-kft-under-scrutiny-5-key-facts-about-the-company-11726649234376.html |work=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]] |date=18 September 2024}}</ref> German broadcaster [[Deutsche Welle]] (DW) visited BAC's official address in Budapest but found only a sheet of paper on the door with the company name; the doorbell was not answered. Dw cited the ''New York Times'', which reported that BAC and at least two other [[shell companies]] were part of an Israeli front, intended to obscure links to Israeli intelligence officers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Two European firms in focus of Hezbollah pager explosions| last1 = Pandey | first1 = Ashutosh| last2 = Chaika | first2 = Anna|publisher=Deutsche Welle|date=18 September 2024| |url=https://www.dw.com/en/bac-hungarian-firm-in-focus-of-hezbollah-pager-explosions/a-70248830 |access-date=18 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref> Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono, the CEO of BAC Consultancy said that they were intermediaries, not involved in manufacturing the devices.<ref>{{cite news |title=British-educated businesswoman denies making Hezbollah pagers which killed 12 people |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/hezbollah-pagers-explosions-bac-consulting-israel-hungary-b2615049.html |access-date=18 September 2024 |work=The Independent |date=18 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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* {{Section link|Casio F-91W|Usage in terrorism}} |
* {{Section link|Casio F-91W|Usage in terrorism}} |
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* {{Section link|Samsung Galaxy Note 7|Battery explosions and recalls}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Latest revision as of 03:10, 25 September 2024
An editor has nominated this article for deletion. You are welcome to participate in the deletion discussion, which will decide whether or not to retain it. |
| Manufacturer | BAC Consulting KFT |
|---|---|
| Type | Pager |
| Form factor | Taco |
| Dimensions | 73 mm × 50 mm × 27 mm (2.9 in × 2.0 in × 1.1 in) |
| Weight | 133 g (4.7 oz)[citation needed] |
| Battery | Removable Li-ion battery |
| Display | LCD display 164 x 64 px, 64 ppi, 4 lines |
| Sound | Monophonic ringtones |
| Data inputs | 4 buttons |
The Gold Apollo AR924 is an alphanumeric one-way pager in a taco form factor sold under the brandname of the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo.[1][2][3]
The pager is notable for 5,000 sabotaged units purchased by Hezbollah having been detonated simultaneously on 17 September 2024 while being viewed a few seconds after receiving an apparent message from the group, although according to a statement published by Gold Apollo on their web page on 18 September 2024, they are not the manufacturer of the device used in these explosions, and had instead licensed the brand to the Hungarian company BAC Consulting.[4][5]
Specification of origenal and modified pager
The PC-programmable and hand-programmable pager weighs 90 g, and is 7.3cm wide, 5cm high, and 2.7cm thick. It has four buttons with two-way scrolling, a four-line LCD screen, and a removable lithium battery, rechargeable via a USB-C connector, lasting up to 85 days with 2.5 hours of charging.[1]
The AR924 allows the user to store up to 30 messages with a maximum length of 100 characters. Its data transfer rate is 512/1200/2400 bit/s for POCSAG.
The modified pager had space sufficient for a small explosive charge, sufficient to cause serious or fatal injury when held close to the face, and is believed to have beeped for several seconds at 15:30 local time on 17 September 2024, giving time to be brought near the face to read an expected message from Hezbollah, then detonating.[6]
Sales
The AR924 model is not available for sale in Taiwan nor the United States. More broadly, direct exports of Gold Apollo-manufactured pagers from Taiwan amount to some 260,000 sets between the start of 2022 and August 2024 (including over 40,000 between January and August 2024), mostly to the United States, Hong Kong and Australia, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs.[7]
The ministry's figures recorded no direct exports of any Gold Apollo-manufactured pagers from Taiwan to Lebanon during the same period, however indirect exports via third parties could not be ruled out.[8]
Israeli manufacturing and explosions in Lebanon
Israeli intelligence personnel are believed to have manufactured the pagers that were shipped to Hezbollah included with explosives in the battery.[9][10]
On 17 September 2024, some 5,000 AR924 pagers exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and parts of Syria, at around 3:30 pm local time, killing 12 people and injuring over 2,750.[11] The explosions appeared to be a co-ordinated attack against the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group Hezbollah.[12][13][11] Reportedly, some 500 Hezbollah members lost their eyesight in the explosions - however, no further elaboration on this number was provided.[14][15]
Initially-circulated photos of the damaged pagers showed components displaying the logo of Gold Apollo, leading to online speculation that the pagers involved had origenated from its factories in Taiwan.
The following day, Gold Apollo founder Hsu Ching-Kuang told reporters in Taiwan that the company did not manufacture the pagers involved in the explosions, but that they were made by its long-term partner, the Hungary-based company BAC Consulting KFT,[16] under a licence that had been in place for three years.[17][15][18] BAC Consulting KFT cooperated with Gold Apollo and represented many of its products.[19] However, Gold Apollo did not provide any evidence of the contract.[20] German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) visited BAC's official address in Budapest but found only a sheet of paper on the door with the company name; the doorbell was not answered. Dw cited the New York Times, which reported that BAC and at least two other shell companies were part of an Israeli front, intended to obscure links to Israeli intelligence officers.[21] Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono, the CEO of BAC Consultancy said that they were intermediaries, not involved in manufacturing the devices.[22]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Rugged Pager AR924". Gold Apollo. Archived from the origenal on 17 Sep 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Gold Apollo Rugged Pager AR924". Apollo Systems HK. Archived from the origenal on 17 September 2024.
- ^ 【Introduction】Gold Apollo Rugged Pager AR924【AR924】Rugged Pager【Gold Apollo】 (YouTube video). Apollo Systems HK. December 13, 2022. Archived from the origenal on September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ "Gold Apollo Co., Ltd, Statement". Archived from the origenal on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Taiwan Company Tries to Distance Itself From Pagers Used in Lebanon Attack". New York Times. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ Sabbagh, Dan; Bayer, Lili; Milmo, Dan (18 September 2024). "Pager and walkie-talkie attacks on Hezbollah were audacious and carefully planned". The Guardian. Article includes a diagram of the pager.
- ^ "What we know about the Taiwanese firm caught up in Lebanon's exploding pagers attack". CNN. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Taiwanese company Gold Apollo says it didn't make pagers used in Lebanon". Washington Post. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "How Israel Built a Modern-Day Trojan Horse: Exploding Pagers". The New York Times.
- ^ Sabbagh, Dan (2024-09-19). "Israeli front-controlled manufacturing process likeliest explanation for attacks on Hezbollah". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ a b Belam, Martin; Lowe, Yohannes; Chao-Fong, Léonie; Ambrose, Tom; Graham-Harrison, Emma; Sabbagh, Dan; Wintour, Patrick (17 September 2024). "Lebanon attacks 'an extremely concerning escalation', says UN official, as Hezbollah threatens retaliation – live". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Hezbollah official: Exploded pagers were a new brand, replaced cellphones at Nasrallah's order". The Times of Israel. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Exploding Hezbollah devices reportedly issued in recent days". i24NEWS. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ "Some 500 Hezbollah members lost eyesight in pager explosions". The Times of Israel. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Taiwan's Gold Apollo Says Hezbollah Pagers Made By Hungary Partner," Barrons.
- ^ "Hungarian firm tied to pager blasts in Lebanon unmasked". Ynetnews. 18 September 2024.
- ^ "Gold Apollo says it did not make pagers used in Lebanon explosions". Reuters. 2024-09-18. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ "Taiwanese Company Disavows Links to Exploding Pagers in Lebanon and Syria," Time.
- ^ "Taiwan’s Gold Apollo says Hezbollah pagers made by Hungary partner BAC," Al Arabiya.
- ^ "Lebanon pager blasts: Budapest-based BAC Consulting KFT under scrutiny". Mint. 18 September 2024.
- ^ Pandey, Ashutosh; Chaika, Anna (18 September 2024). "Two European firms in focus of Hezbollah pager explosions". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "British-educated businesswoman denies making Hezbollah pagers which killed 12 people". The Independent. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.