Former US defence secretary Leon Edward Panetta has labelled Israel a “terrorist entity” after pager explosions in Lebanon.

In an interview with CBS on Sunday, the former CIA director referred to last week’s targeted pager and radio blasts by Israel as “a form of terrorism.”

At least eight people were killed and 2,750 others, including many of the militant group’s fighters and Iran’s envoy to Beirut, wounded in pager explosions.

According to a New York Times report, Israel utilised a shell company to not only manufacture such devices but also rig them with explosives before supplying them to the militant group Hezbollah.

Additionally, sources from Tehran’s Mehr News Agency report that Israel created at least two other companies to further disguise the identities of those involved in the pager production. After Hezbollah’s mass order for pagers, Israeli intelligence reportedly set up a shell company named BAC Consulting. This firm was said to operate under a three-year brand-licensing agreement with the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo.

On Wednesday, Gold Apollo clarified that the pagers involved in the detonations were not manufactured by them, but rather by a company named BAC, which holds a license to use its brand.

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When asked if he believed Israel should be condemned for its actions, Panetta stated: “The nations of the world need to have a serious discussion about this.”

Panetta reiterated that Israel’s attacks in Lebanon constitute “terrorism” and added that the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government was engaging in “terrorism” during wartime.

“Mark my words, if such actions are not halted, it will lead to future conflicts,” he added.