DUBAI, September 23. /TASS/. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite arm of Iran’s army, has prohibited its servicemen from using any technology to communicate following the recent explosions affecting such devices in Lebanon, Reuters said, citing sources in Iran's security services.
According to their information, the IRGC launched a large-scale inspection of all its technical equipment, not limited to only communication devices. Top officials are concerned about the incident, having requested the results of technical examination as well as several samples of detonated products from Hezbollah.
The IRGC is also checking if any of its soldiers and mid-and high-ranking officers have received money from Israeli-affiliated sources. "This includes checking their bank accounts both in Iran and abroad, as well as their travel history and that of their families," Iran’s security services explained.
On September 22, the elite Iranian army force said it had exposed a network of 12 Israeli agents in six Iranian provinces who were hatching plans to organize actions to undermine the country’s national security.
On incidents in Lebanon
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, over 2,000 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 new attack.
Earlier, the Hungarian portal Telex claimed that the pagers that exploded in Lebanon may have been purchased from the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo by the Bulgarian firm Norta Global Ltd, rather than the Hungarian company BAC Consulting. According to the report, BAC Consulting, registered in Budapest, acted only as an intermediary, facilitating the agreement with the Taiwanese firm, while the Sofia-based Norta Global Ltd was directly involved in procuring the pagers. Telex alleges that Norta Global Ltd "organized the delivery and sold" the pagers to Hezbollah. Later, Bulgaria’s State National Security Agency said in response to statements made by Hungarian media that the Bulgarian firm was not involved. Taiwan’s authorities also denied any involvement of its companies.
Lebanon and Hezbollah blamed the blasts on Israel, slamming its actions as aggression. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel of "fair retaliation."