ANKARA, Sept 19 (Askume) – Turkey is reviewing measures to protect communications equipment used by its armed forces following a deadly explosion in Lebanon, a defence official said on Thursday.
A handheld radio used by the armed group Hezbollah exploded in southern Lebanon on Wednesday , the deadliest day since cross-border fighting began between the group and Israel nearly a year ago. Tensions had escalated after a similar explosion on a militant’s pager a day earlier.
The bombing has upset Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful proxy in the Middle East , and combined with Israel’s 11-month war with Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza, has raised fears of a regional war.
The Turkish official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Turkish military only uses domestically produced equipment, but Ankara has additional resource control mechanisms if third parties are involved in purchasing or producing the equipment.
“Whether it’s our ongoing operations, the ongoing war in Ukraine, or the example of Lebanon, we review measures and learn lessons and develop new measures following each development,” the official said.
“Our Defence Ministry is conducting the necessary investigation into the incident,” the source said, without giving further details.
Israeli spies are involved in Tuesday’s blastThe remotely detonated explosives were placed on 5,000 pagers that Hezbollah had ordered before entering the country.
These unprecedented attacks have raised concerns about cybersecurity in the region.
Iraq’s National Security Council said on Wednesday it would take preventive measures against any possible electronic import violations and impose strict security checks on imported products and border inspections.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told state-run Anadolu news agency on Thursday that establishing an independent cybersecurity agency was on the government’s agenda after President Tayyip Erdogan expressed the need, adding that establishing the agency was “very important.”
Hadi Bahra, chairman of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, told Askume in an interview in Istanbul on Thursday that the explosions in Lebanon have prompted some opposition forces in northern Syria to reconsider protecting communications equipment and supply chains.
“This is a matter of concern for them and they are reviewing their preparations,” he said of the Syrian National Army, a Turkish-backed opposition group that controls large parts of northern Syria.
