Hungary reportedly offered to share intelligence with Iran about Israel’s deadly 2024 pager attack targeting Hezbollah operatives, raising questions regarding Budapest’s geopolitical standing.
The Washington Post said Wednesday that it obtained a Hungarian government transcript of a September 30, 2024, call between Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi during which Szijjarto told Araghchi that Budapest’s intelligence services had already reached out and would share all information gathered in their investigation into the incident. The Post said the transcript was also verified by a Western intelligence agency.
The outreach from Szijjarto to Araghchi came shortly after thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded in Lebanon, killing at least 12 people and wounding nearly 3,000 on September 17.
At the time, Hungary was drawn into the spotlight after a Taiwanese company whose branding appeared on the devices said they had been manufactured by a Hungarian firm under license.
Szijjarto sought to distance Hungary from the attack, with the transcript quoting him as having told Araghchi during the call that the pagers “are not produced in Hungary, they have never been to Hungary and no Hungarian company has never been related with these pagers physically. So we don’t have anything to do with it!”
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
Araghchi, in turn, expressed gratitude for Hungary’s efforts, telling Szijjarto that he was “very grateful for you doing all of this.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, left, meets with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto, right, at the Foreign Office in Budapest, Hungary, on September 8, 2025. (Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)
Hungary’s willingness to cooperate with Iran — Hezbollah’s main backer — appears to sit uneasily with Hungary’s official stance as one of Israel’s most reliable supporters within Europe. Budapest has frequently backed Israel in international forums and maintains close ties with both Israeli and American leadership.
Just last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu effectively endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the country’s elections next week, saying the strongman leader “has been like a rock.”
During a visit to Hungary, US Vice President JD Vance similarly showed support for Orbán’s election campaign on Tuesday, saying at a pro-Orbán rally that he was in Budapest “to help him in this campaign cycle.”
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, left, and US Vice President JD Vance gesture at the end of a pre-election rally in Budapest, Hungary, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
A former White House official told the Post that while Hungary may have been attempting to ease tensions with Tehran following the attack, the move runs counter to its publicly stated pro-Israel policy.
“Hungary is one of the most supportive of Israel in its official policy. They are one of the only countries that consistently vote with the US when the rest of Europe abstains,” the official said.
The report noted that the communication has prompted concern among Western officials, particularly given Hungary’s broader positioning, which has included maintaining ties with Russia, a key Iranian ally.
You appreciate our wartime journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
