Middle East|Bulgaria has begun investigating a Sofia-based consulting firm suspected of being involved in the Hezbollah fighters’ pager devices that exploded in Lebanon this week.
To Hezbollah in the explosions of the devices used this week, a total of at least 37 people died and three thousand were wounded, the Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed on Thursday.
The explosions occurred in two waves on consecutive days. On Wednesday, at least 25 people were killed in the explosions of radio phones used by Hezbollah. On Tuesday, paging devices used by Hezbollah exploded in Lebanon, killing at least 12 people.
Iran-backed Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the explosions and vowed to avenge the attacks. Israel has not admitted to being behind the explosions.
Explosions spread fear among ordinary civilians as well and not only among Hezbollah fighters.
The of the New York Times and al-Jazeera according to people have stopped using their usual newer electronic devices for fear that they might explode.
According to the media, people have at least temporarily abandoned their cell phones, baby monitors, laptops and televisions, and disconnected the inverters of their solar panels.
Al-Jazeera also interviewed the event organizer Maria Bostanyawho had told his employees not to use their work radios for communication at weddings and other parties. Instead, he has instructed them to use the Whatsapp application on their mobile phones.
“(The walkie-talkies) may not be the same brand, but we really don’t know what could happen,” Bostany said.
A view of the city of Hazmieh in Lebanon from Wednesday.
in Bulgaria an investigation has begun into a Sofia-based consulting firm suspected of being involved in the Hezbollah fighters’ pager devices that exploded in Lebanon this week.
The matter was reported by the Bulgarian Security Agency on Thursday, according to which the investigation will be carried out in cooperation with the tax authorities and the country’s Ministry of the Interior.
The statement was published in response to media allegations regarding the company’s operations. Late Wednesday Hungarian Telex news site had written relying on anonymous sources, that a Sofia-based company called Norta Global would have brought the paging devices to the country and organized their delivery to the extremist organization Hezbollah, not the Hungarian BAC Consulting that was featured in the media.
According to Fp, a Norwegian Rinson Josen owned by Norta Global last year recorded a turnover of EUR 650,000 from consulting services. According to AFP, it had not been possible to reach him so far.
However, according to Bulgaria’s security agency, it was not known that the devices had entered the European Union legally through Bulgaria, and customs had not registered them.
The search devices were marked with the trademark of the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo, but the Taiwanese company denied having manufactured the devices and pointed to its Hungarian partner BAC Consulting, which denied the accusations. Hungary also denied that the company has a production facility in Hungary.
Neither the source of the exploded radios could not yet be determined. The Japanese company Icom says it stopped manufacturing the walkie-talkies that exploded in Lebanon on Wednesday about 10 years ago. The company previously said it was investigating claims that the exploded walkie-talkies had its logo on them.
The company says that it manufactured the radiotelephone models in question between 2004 and 2014 and they were also exported to the Middle East. Since then, they have not been delivered from the company.
The company also announced that all walkie-talkies it manufactures are made in Japan at a factory in Wakayama Prefecture and not overseas.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
of Lebanon prime minister Najib Mikati demanded on Thursday that the UN Security Council should oppose Israel’s “technological war” against Lebanon. The Security Council is scheduled to discuss the explosions at its meeting on Friday.
The Israeli army, on the other hand, said it struck six Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Thursday night. The military said it struck terrorist infrastructure and weapons caches.
At least Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez and the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday warned the parties against further escalating the situation in the Middle East.
Earlier, the United States also warned all parties about the escalation of the situation.
“We still don’t want to see any kind of escalation. We do not believe that this crisis can be resolved by any additional military operations,” a spokesperson for the US National Security Council John Kirby told reporters.
“We believe that the best way to prevent escalation and prevent a second front in Lebanon is through diplomacy,” Kirby added.
Kirby was asked whether Israel was complying with international humanitarian law in blowing up pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah.
“As we have said from the beginning, Israel has the right to defend itself. How they do it matters to us, and we are not afraid to have discussions with Israel as needed, Kirby said, but did not confirm Israel’s involvement in the explosions.”
Kirby also added that the United States was not involved in the explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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