Thu Sep 19 05:50:18 UTC 2024: ## Türkiye Emphasizes Need for National Technology After Lebanon Explosion
**Ankara, Türkiye** – Türkiye’s Industry and Technology Minister, Mehmet Fatih Kacır, has stressed the importance of advancing national technology following a mass explosion of pagers in Lebanon, an incident the Lebanese government attributes to Israel.
Kacır stated that Israel appears to have detonated explosives simultaneously in thousands of devices in Lebanon, highlighting the vulnerability of relying on foreign technology. “This incident has once again demonstrated how vital our national technology drive is,” he declared.
Kacır emphasized the need for Türkiye to intensify its focus on local production across all sectors, including communications, finance, health, and agriculture, not just defense. He asserted that developing and producing critical technologies with domestic resources is “not a choice, but an absolute necessity.”
Kacır pointed to Türkiye’s advancements in defense technology, where the country has shifted from importing 80% of its defense needs to producing 80% domestically. He underscored the importance of continuous research and innovation to further propel Türkiye’s technological and industrial growth.
The explosion in Beirut and surrounding areas on Tuesday resulted in 12 fatalities and hundreds of injuries. The Lebanese government has accused Israel of orchestrating the attack. The detonation of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon over the past days has been described as a “new phase” of the conflict, exceeding the daily exchange of fire on the border with Israel, according to Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.
This news comes as Türkiye’s Central Bank maintained its policy rate at 50 percent for the sixth consecutive month and the national football team secured a 3-1 victory over Iceland in a UEFA Nations League match.
First Piper 