SOFIA, September 20. /TASS/. The communication devices that exploded in Lebanon and Syria were not manufactured in Bulgaria, neither were they involved in any Bulgaria-related import or export, the press service of the country’s State Agency for National Security said.
Intelligence, together with other relevant agencies, conducted an inspection, "reliably establishing that no communication devices that detonated in Lebanon and Syria on 17.09.2024 were manufactured in Bulgaria, imported there or exported from it."
Specialists also found out that Bulgaria’s Norta Global Ltd and its owner, linked by the media to the pager blasts, "had no involvement in the purchase or sale of such goods in Bulgaria’s jurisdiction." Additionally, the special services insist that the company "did not conduct any operations that would fall under the scope of Bulgaria's anti-terrorism financing laws," nor maintained any commercial ties with individuals or entities subject to the UN or EU sanctions.
Multiple explosions of communication devices occurred in Lebanon on September 17 and 18. On the first day, a large number of pagers blew up almost simultaneously in various regions of Lebanon. According to the country’s Health Ministry, 12 people, including two children, were killed, and about 2,800 more were hospitalized.
On the following day, a new wave of blasts swept across Lebanon. This time, walkie-talkies, phones, fingerprint scanners, as well as devices operating on solar and lithium-ion batteries exploded. At least 25 were killed and 608 were injured in the repeat attack.
Later, the New York Times, citing sources, said that Israel had been planning the operation on Lebanese territory for a long time, creating a sham company on manufacturing communication devices rigged with explosives.