TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND, 國防部) on Wednesday (Sept. 18) denied any intelligence exchange between Taiwan and Israel following a pager explosion in Lebanon, emphasizing that national security units are investigating the incident.
When asked if Taiwan had prior notification or intelligence sharing with Israel regarding the attack during a meeting with reporters earlier that day, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) firmly responded "Absolutely not."
Military spokesman Major General Sun Li-fang (孫立方) added that while Taiwan engages in international cooperation to promote regional peace and stability, it does not extend to provocative actions or areas outside the region.
Sun noted that the MND cannot speak on behalf of manufacturers, and stressed the ministry would not speculate as there is still a lack of public statements about the responsible party. He stated that the ministry has no information on the origin or use of the explosive device.
The Lebanon pager explosions occurred on Sept. 18 (Taiwan time).
Reports suggest that the pager involved was a Taiwanese brand, allegedly modified by Israel. However, manufacturer Golden Apollo (金阿波羅) quickly issued a statement clarifying that the product was only trademarked by a company based in Hungary and not manufactured in Taiwan.
However, the Budapest-registered BAC Consulting firm was claimed to be a trading intermediary, said Hungarian authorities, with no manufacturing facilities in the country.
