Former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has called Israel a “terrorist entity” following recent pager explosions in Lebanon. In an interview with CBS, Panetta described last week’s targeted blasts as “a form of terrorism.”
The explosions resulted in at least eight deaths and injured 2,750 others, including numerous members of the militant group Hezbollah and Iran’s envoy to Beirut.
According to a New York Times report, Israel allegedly used a shell company to manufacture and rig explosive devices before supplying them to Hezbollah. Tehran’s Mehr News Agency claims that Israel created multiple companies to obscure the identities of those involved in producing the pagers. After Hezbollah placed a large order, Israeli intelligence reportedly established a shell company named BAC Consulting, which operated under a licensing agreement with Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo.
On Wednesday, Gold Apollo clarified that the pagers used in the explosions were produced by BAC, not by them.
When asked whether Israel should face condemnation for its actions, Panetta emphasized the need for a serious global discussion, reiterating that Israel’s actions in Lebanon amount to “terrorism” and suggesting that the Netanyahu-led government is engaging in such behavior during wartime. He warned that if these actions continue, they could lead to future conflicts.
