SOFIA: Bulgaria was looking into the possible involvement of a Sofia-based company in delivering pagers that exploded while being used by Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, authorities said Thursday.
Hundreds of electronic devices detonated across Lebanon in unprecedented attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least 37 people and wounding more than 2,900 others, according to Lebanon’s health minister.
Questions and speculation have swirled over where the devices came from and how they were supplied to Hezbollah.
“Checks are underway with the tax authorities and the interior ministry to determine the possible role of a company registered in Bulgaria in the supply of communications equipment to Hezbollah,” Bulgaria’s state security agency (SANS) said in a statement.
The agency said there was no record the devices had entered the European Union legally via Bulgaria, adding customs had not registered the “said goods.”
The comments came after an article on the Hungarian Telex news site quoted anonymous sources saying that a Sofia-based company called Norta Global had imported the pagers and arranged their delivery to Hezbollah.
Taiwan’s Gold Apollo — whose trademark appeared on the pagers — has denied producing the devices and instead pointed the finger at its Budapest-based partner BAC Consulting KFT.
But Hungary said the company “is a trading intermediary, with no manufacturing or operational site in Hungary.”
Norta Global, which has been listed on the Sofia trade register since April 2022, could not be immediately reached.
The company, owned by Norwegian Rinson Jose, recorded revenue of 650,000 euros ($725,000) last year for management consultancy services.
Bulgaria probes firm’s possible link to Hezbollah pagers
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Bulgaria probes firm’s possible link to Hezbollah pagers
- “Checks are underway with the tax authorities and the interior ministry,” Bulgaria’s state security agency said
- The agency said there was no record the devices had entered the European Union legally via Bulgaria
Six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in occupied West Bank’s Qabatiya
RAMALLAH: Six Palestinians were killed and 18 others injured by Israeli forces during a military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Qabatiya, the governor of Jenin told Reuters on Thursday.
The governor, Kamal Abu Al-Rub, said four of the injured are in critical condition, and that Israeli forces withdrew from Qabatiya after destroying infrastructure in the area.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, with almost daily sweeps by Israeli forces that have involved thousands of arrests and regular gunbattles between security forces and Palestinian fighters.
Explosives put in devices before they arrived in Lebanon, says Lebanon’s UN mission
- The authorities also determined the devices, which included pagers and hand-held radios, were detonated by sending electronic messages to the devices
UNITED NATIONS: A preliminary investigation by Lebanese authorities into the communications devices that blew up in Lebanon this week found that they were implanted with explosives before arriving in the country, according to a letter sent to the UN Security Council by Lebanon’s mission to the United Nations.
The authorities also determined the devices, which included pagers and hand-held radios, were detonated by sending electronic messages to the devices, says the letter, seen by Reuters on Thursday. Israel was responsible for the planning and execution of the attacks, Lebanon’s UN mission said.
The 15-member Security Council is due to meet on Friday over the blasts.
The attacks on Hezbollah’s communications equipment on Tuesday and Wednesday killed 37 people and wounded around 3,000, overwhelming Lebanese hospitals and wreaking bloody havoc on the militant group.
Israel has not directly commented on the attacks, which security sources say were probably carried out by its Mossad spy agency, which has a long history of carrying out sophisticated attacks on foreign soil.
US says no change to its military posture in Middle East amid attacks in Lebanon
- “I am not tracking any force posture changes in the Eastern Med or in the Central Command area of responsibility,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said
- “We’ve never wanted to see a wider regional conflict“
WASHINGTON: There are no changes to US military posture in the Middle East, the Pentagon told reporters on Thursday when asked about recent deadly Israeli attacks in Lebanon that blew up Hezbollah radios and pagers.
Lebanon and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group have blamed Israel for attacks on Hezbollah’s communications equipment that killed 37 people and wounded around 3,000, overwhelming Lebanese hospitals and wreaking bloody havoc on the militant group.
“I am not tracking any force posture changes in the Eastern Med or in the Central Command area of responsibility,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said in a press briefing.
The Pentagon said that any attack that escalates tensions in the Middle East will not be helpful.
“In pretty much every call the secretary always reiterates the need (that) we want to see regional tensions quell,” Singh said when asked about Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin’s call on Wednesday with his Israeli counterpart. “We’ve never wanted to see a wider regional conflict.”
Israel has not directly commented on the attacks, which security sources say were probably carried out by its Mossad spy agency.
The Pentagon was pressed on the potential for a Gaza ceasefire deal amid escalating regional tensions and said Washington did not believe a deal was falling apart. The spokesperson added that the US felt as of now the conflict was contained to Gaza.
President Joe Biden laid out a three phase Gaza ceasefire proposal on May 31. The deal has run into obstacles since.
Critics have urged Washington to use its leverage by conditioning military support to Israel but the US has maintained its support for its ally.
The attacks in Lebanon have raised concerns about the widening of Israel’s war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies. Israel’s assault on Gaza followed a deadly Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
Houthis abduct 5 former ruling party members in Sanaa
- All five are senior members of the General People’s Congress, the party of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh
- UN envoy urges militia to release detained colleagues to restore hope and trust
AL-MUKALLA: Armed Houthis abducted five tribal leaders, academics and officials after raiding a house in Sanaa, the latest seizures following accusations of criticism and incitement of revolution celebrations.
The group stormed a house in Assafi’yah and arrested Amen Rajeh, a tribal leader and deputy minister of youth, along with Ali Jarmal, Saeed Al-Ghoules, Ahmed Al-Ashari and Nayef Al-Najjar.
All five are senior members of the General People’s Congress, the party of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. An anonymous source said they were captured for inciting the public to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the Sept. 26 revolution and for online criticism of the Houthis. The Yemeni revolution of September 1962 ended centuries of Zaidi Imamate rule in northern Yemen and laid the groundwork for establishing the Yemen Arab Republic.
The source, a GPC journalist, said: “The September 26 revolution ended the backward Imamate rule, and the Houthis supported that reactionary regime.”
In recent days, the Houthis have raided the homes of people in Sanaa, Ibb, and other areas under their control who have called for revolution celebrations. Residents and local media have reported the abductions of several people, including online activists.
The seizures come as Houthi leaders are asking Yemenis in areas under their control to take to the streets on Saturday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the military takeover which triggered the current war.
At the same time, Yemen’s human rights minister, Ahmed Arman, told Arab News the Houthis had distributed leaflets in the streets of Sanaa, Amran and other areas in northern Yemen, urging the public to assist in identifying spies for Western countries.
One leaflet, shared on X, read: “It is our responsibility as free and honorable Yemenis to report spies for America, Israel, Britain, Holland, and Germany to security authorities and intelligence agencies because they pose the greatest threat to the state, religion, and Islamic nation.”
Following raids on homes and workplaces, the Houthis abducted dozens of people working for UN agencies, international rights and aid organizations, and diplomatic missions, accusing them of using their humanitarian work to spy for US and Israeli intelligence services.
The UN and other organizations have vehemently denied the allegations and called for their employees’ immediate release.
On Wednesday, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg announced the end of a trip to Iran after “frank and constructive” talks with Iranian officials about peace efforts to end the war in Yemen and the abduction of UN workers.
In a statement, Grundberg said: “Throughout all my engagements, I prioritized lending my voice to the secretary-general’s urgent call to release all detained colleagues. Their release must happen without delay to restore the hope and trust needed for moving forward.”
UN to add nutrients to second round of Gaza polio vaccinations
- The first round of the polio vaccination campaign, which began on Sept. 1, reached its target of 90 percent of children under 10 years of age
UNITED NATIONS: The second round of a vaccination campaign to protect 640,000 children in Gaza against polio will also deliver micronutrients — essential vitamins and minerals — and conduct nutritional screening, a senior UN Children’s Fund official said.
Discussions are also underway about the feasibility of adding further vaccinations to the campaign, including a measles immunization, said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF’s deputy executive director for humanitarian action and supply operations.
“There are over 44,000 children born in the last year and who haven’t received their basic immunization,” he said on Thursday.
The first round of the polio vaccination campaign, which began on Sept. 1, reached its target of 90 percent of children under 10 years of age, the head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Monday.
It was carried out in phases over two weeks during humanitarian pauses in the fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas. A second round of the polio vaccinations has to be carried out within four weeks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed last month that a baby was partially paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the territory in 25 years.
A high risk of famine persists across Gaza as long as the war continues and humanitarian access is restricted, according to an assessment by a global hunger monitor published in June.
“In the same way that we’ve been able to reach all children with polio vaccines, we need to move and use the same modality to reach children with their basic vaccines, with some of the nutrition and hygiene interventions that are essential to save their lives,” Chaiban told reporters after visiting Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.
“Those are lifesaving interventions and the parties have shown that they can line up when necessary. It needs to happen again,” he said.
