Investigation into Origins of Lebanon Pager Attack Expands to Bulgaria and Norway

Bulgaria and Norway Investigate Hezbollah Pager Explosions

By Nerijus Adomaitis, Krisztina Than, and James Pearson

OSLO/BUDAPEST/LONDON – Bulgaria and Norway have emerged as key locations in a global investigation concerning the source of thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah, which exploded in Lebanon earlier this week, resulting in numerous casualties.

Reports indicate that Israel was behind the explosions that occurred on Tuesday, claiming the lives of 12 individuals and injuring over 2,300, thus escalating tensions between the country and Hezbollah. However, Israel has made no official comments regarding the attacks.

As investigators delve into how these pagers were weaponized—enabling them to be detonated remotely—leads point towards possible involvement from parties in Taiwan, Hungary, and Bulgaria.

There is speculation about whether the pagers were tampered with after leaving their manufacturing locations or if Israel directly managed the entire supply chain.

On Thursday, Bulgarian authorities announced that an investigation had been launched by the interior ministry and state security services focused on a particular company, although its name has not been disclosed.

Media sources suggested that a Sofia-based company may have played a role in facilitating the sale of the pagers to Hezbollah, with financial transactions involving approximately 1.6 million euros reportedly passing through Bulgaria, funneling into Hungary. Attempts to confirm these details were met with challenges.

Communications sent to the company in question returned undeliverable results, and its founder declined to provide further information.

Analyzed images of the destroyed pagers indicated a design consistent with devices produced by a Taiwanese manufacturer, which clarified that the pagers originated from a separate Budapest-based entity.

The CEO of that Budapest company did not respond to repeated inquiries for comment but had previously described her role as merely facilitative, distancing herself from the production of the pagers.

Hungarian media reported that the sale had been facilitated by the same Sofia-based company referenced earlier. Records indicate that this company is registered in an apartment building in Sofia, which is also the address for many other businesses—but there was no visible presence of the company there.

Subsequent to the attacks, the company’s website underwent significant modifications, with its content about consulting and technology services removed.

The founder of the company, located in Norway, also declined to comment when approached but did have his employer express concern and report the matter to authorities.

Oslo police have initiated preliminary inquiries regarding the situation, and Norway’s domestic intelligence agency has acknowledged awareness of the ongoing investigation.

Speculations continue regarding the involvement of the Budapest-based company, whose owner has reportedly vacated her apartment following the events and has not been reachable since.

A Lebanese security source revealed that Hezbollah was under the impression they were ordering pagers directly from the Taiwanese manufacturer, believing the devices were produced in Asia rather than Europe.

Hezbollah has voiced concerns about Israel’s capabilities, suggesting that its spy agency could more readily operate in Hungary, potentially establishing a European front for their operations.