Hezbollah pager explosions update: Israel prepares for retaliation as company confirms devices were manufactured in Europe.

Hezbollah's pagers, which resulted in the deaths of at least nine individuals and injuries to nearly 3,000 others, have escalated tensions in the region. The incident is attributed to modifications made by Israeli intelligence prior to the devices being shipped to Lebanon. Initially, a Taiwanese company named Gold Apollo faced accusations of manufacturing these pagers; however, they have since denied involvement and clarified that a European company was responsible for their production. This acknowledgment raises questions about the complexities of international arms supply chains and their implications for regional security.

Thousands of people have been injured in Lebanon, after pagers used by the armed group Hezbollah to communicate dramatically exploded almost simultaneously across the country on Tuesday.

At least nine people were killed and some 2,800 injured, many of them seriously.

Hezbollah has blamed its adversary Israel. Israeli officials have so far declined to comment.

The company that owns the brand of pagers used in the attack, Gold Apollo, has denied producing the model in question, saying they were manufactured and distributed by another firm in Europe.

“The product was not ours. It was only that it had our brand on it,” said founder Hsu Ching-Kuang.

Lebanese security sources told Reuters the devices were modified “at the production level”.

Taiwan-based company had supplied the pagers, his voice shaking slightly.

As the media crowded around Hsu a security guard wandered over, picking up the printed statements left on the floor by some reporters, photographing them for his manager downstairs, who was concerned about the cause of the unusual scene.

Despite the ongoing tensions, observers say that until now both sides have aimed to contain hostilities without crossing the line into full-scale war. But there are fears that the situation could spiral out of control, with Hezbollah already threatening to respond to Tuesday's explosions.

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Sarah H

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