PARIS (AP) — Associated Press photographers have shot hundreds of thousands of amazing photos during the Paris Olympics. The Games featured a little something for everyone, and AP was there to capture it all with photos of iconic landmarks, remarkable athletic feats, emotional highs and lows, frenzied fans and much more.
The photographers assigned to the Games combed through hordes of photos they shot and were asked to select their favorite. Here’s a look at those magical moments.
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Silver medalist Simone Biles, of the United States, left, and bronze medalist Jordan Chiles, of the United States, right, bow to gold medalist Rebeca Andrade, of Brazil, during the medal ceremony for the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
PARIS (AP) — Associated Press photographers have shot hundreds of thousands of amazing photos during the Paris Olympics. The Games featured a little something for everyone, and AP was there to capture it all with photos of iconic landmarks, remarkable athletic feats, emotional highs and lows, frenzied fans and much more.
Stiliana Nikolova, of Bulgaria performs in the rhythmic gymnastics individuals all-round qualification round, at La Chapelle Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Mexico's Alegna Gonzales competes during the marathon race walk relay mixed at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
A couple embraces in the street as the flag of France hangs from a restaurant ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
In this image taken with a slow shutter speed, players challenge for the ball during a men's volleyball bronze medal match between Italy and the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Ezinne Kalu (23), and Promise Amukamara (10), of Nigeria, celebrate in a women's basketball game against Canada at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
A fleet of boats compete in the mixed multihull sailing race during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Italy's Giovanni Tocci competes in the men's 3m springboard diving preliminary at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Julien Alfred, of Saint Lucia, leads the field to win the women's 100-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Sweden's Henrik von Eckermann, riding King Edward, competes in the equestrian team jumping finals, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Versailles, France. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik celebrate after defeating India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty during their men's doubles badminton quarterfinal match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Valentin Bontus, of Austria, screams with joy after winning the gold, during a men's kite final race, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Members of Team Ghana travel on a boat on the Seine River, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Water is sprayed on the pitch as the ball boys and girls walk along the center line before the start of the men's Group A field hockey match between South Africa and Germany at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Colombes, France. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
France players jump for a block during a quarterfinal handball match between Germany and France at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Noah Lyles of the United States reacts ahead of his men's 100-meter semifinal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia plays against India's Lakshya Sen during their men's singles badminton bronze medal match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
France's Kadidiatou Diani prepares to head the ball during the women's Group A soccer match between France and Colombia at the Lyon stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Decines, France. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
A spectator walks through a water mist sprayer on her way to the Eiffel Tower Stadium to watch a beach volleyball match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
United States' Coco Gauff and Lebron James travel along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis,Pool)
Egypt's Mohamed Elsayed celebrates after winning the men's individual Epee bronze final match against Hungary's Tibor Andrasfi at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Britain's Amber Jo Rutter ejects empty cartridges from her gun as she competes in the Skeet women's final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Chateauroux, France. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Noah Lyles, of the United States, jumps ahead of the men's 100-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
France's Jean-Philippe Mateta(14), left, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's 2nd goal in extra time during the men's semifinal soccer match between France and Egypt, at Lyon Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Decines, France. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Canada's Maximilien van Haaster competes with Egypt's Mohamed Hamza in the men's team foil match during the 2024 Summer Olympics at the Grand Palais, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The United States women's gymnastics team celebrates after winning the gold medal in the women's artistic gymnastics team finals at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Competitors run through Place Vendome in central Paris during the men's marathon at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, Pool)
Ceremonial smoke in the colors of the France flag appear over the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Silver medalist Simone Biles, of the United States, left, and bronze medalist Jordan Chiles, of the United States, right, bow to gold medalist Rebeca Andrade, of Brazil, during the medal ceremony for the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Morocco's Widad Bertal celebrates after defeating Thailand's Jutamas Jitpong in their women's 54kg preliminary boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)
France and Argentina players argue at the end of a quarter final soccer match between France and Argentina, at Bordeaux Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Bordeaux, France. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Tom Reuveny of Israel jumps from his iQFOiL windsurfer after finishing first in the final race to win the men's iQFOiL windsurfing class gold medal during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Scottie Scheffler, of the United States, hits from the second tee during the final round of the men's golf event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Algeria's Imane Khelif celebrates after defeating China's Yang Liu to win gold in their women's 66 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Brazil's Priscila eyes the ball during a women's semifinal soccer match between Brazil and Spain at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at Marseille Stadium in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
The Archery venue can be seen from atop Les Invalides at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, Pool)
United State's Nick Itkin competes with France's Enzo Lefort in the men's team foil bronze final match during the 2024 Summer Olympics at the Grand Palais, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Romain Mahieu of France, winner of the bronze medal in the men's race, hugs women's gold medallist Saya Sakakibara of Australia, following the BMX racing events, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Belgium's Emma Puvrez celebrates after scoring her side's first goal during the women's semi-final field hockey match between Belgium and China at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Colombes, France. (AP Photo/ Anjum Naveed)
Ramzi Boukhiam, of Morrocco, falls while competing during the second round of the 2024 Summer Olympics surfing competition Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Teahupo'o, Tahiti. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Team Germany, second from bottom, competes in the women's quadruple sculls rowing final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Official doctors prohibit Algeria's Chaimaa Fouzia Aouissi to fight in the round of 16 of the women's freestyle 57kg wrestling match against Nigeria's Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Quincy Hall, of the United States, celebrates after winning the men's 400-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Canada's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander grabs a rebound during a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)
Andre de Grasse, of Canada, left, celebrates with Aaron Brown, after winning the men's 4 x 100-meter relay final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Darlan Ferreira Souza,center, of Brazil, spikes the ball against Egypt during the Group B men's volleyball match between Brazil and Egypt at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
Jon Rahm, of Spain, plays off the 11th tee during the final round of the men's golf event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Zheng Qinwen of China celebrates as she defeats Iga Swiatek of Poland during their women's tennis semifinal match at the Roland Garros Stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics on Aug.1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Nicholas Paul of Trinidad And Tobago competes during the men's sprint event, at the Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Serbia's Novak Djokovic embraces his daughter Tara after defeating Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles tennis final at the Roland Garros Stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Kimberley Woods of Britain competes in the women's kayak cross time trial at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Petra Simon, of Hungary, attempts to score against Netherlands during a women's handball match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Spain's Alvaro Granados Ortega shoots to score during a men's water polo Group B preliminary match between Serbia and Spain, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Spain's Alex Baena, right, celebrates after scoring his goal during the men's soccer gold medal match between France and Spain at the Parc des Princes during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Simone Biles of the United States competes on the balance beam during a women's artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
People watch the cauldron rise at sunset by the Olympic rings during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Uzbekistan fans chant in the stands before the men's group C match between Uzbekistan and Egypt, at La Beaujoire Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Nantes, France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Stiliana Nikolova, of Bulgaria performs in the rhythmic gymnastics individuals all-round qualification round, at La Chapelle Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Mexico's Alegna Gonzales competes during the marathon race walk relay mixed at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
A couple embraces in the street as the flag of France hangs from a restaurant ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
In this image taken with a slow shutter speed, players challenge for the ball during a men's volleyball bronze medal match between Italy and the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Ezinne Kalu (23), and Promise Amukamara (10), of Nigeria, celebrate in a women's basketball game against Canada at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
A fleet of boats compete in the mixed multihull sailing race during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Italy's Giovanni Tocci competes in the men's 3m springboard diving preliminary at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Julien Alfred, of Saint Lucia, leads the field to win the women's 100-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Sweden's Henrik von Eckermann, riding King Edward, competes in the equestrian team jumping finals, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Versailles, France. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik celebrate after defeating India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty during their men's doubles badminton quarterfinal match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Valentin Bontus, of Austria, screams with joy after winning the gold, during a men's kite final race, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Members of Team Ghana travel on a boat on the Seine River, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Water is sprayed on the pitch as the ball boys and girls walk along the center line before the start of the men's Group A field hockey match between South Africa and Germany at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Colombes, France. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
France players jump for a block during a quarterfinal handball match between Germany and France at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Noah Lyles of the United States reacts ahead of his men's 100-meter semifinal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia plays against India's Lakshya Sen during their men's singles badminton bronze medal match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
France's Kadidiatou Diani prepares to head the ball during the women's Group A soccer match between France and Colombia at the Lyon stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Decines, France. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
A spectator walks through a water mist sprayer on her way to the Eiffel Tower Stadium to watch a beach volleyball match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
United States' Coco Gauff and Lebron James travel along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis,Pool)
Egypt's Mohamed Elsayed celebrates after winning the men's individual Epee bronze final match against Hungary's Tibor Andrasfi at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Britain's Amber Jo Rutter ejects empty cartridges from her gun as she competes in the Skeet women's final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Chateauroux, France. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Noah Lyles, of the United States, jumps ahead of the men's 100-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
France's Jean-Philippe Mateta(14), left, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's 2nd goal in extra time during the men's semifinal soccer match between France and Egypt, at Lyon Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Decines, France. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Canada's Maximilien van Haaster competes with Egypt's Mohamed Hamza in the men's team foil match during the 2024 Summer Olympics at the Grand Palais, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The United States women's gymnastics team celebrates after winning the gold medal in the women's artistic gymnastics team finals at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Competitors run through Place Vendome in central Paris during the men's marathon at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, Pool)
Ceremonial smoke in the colors of the France flag appear over the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Silver medalist Simone Biles, of the United States, left, and bronze medalist Jordan Chiles, of the United States, right, bow to gold medalist Rebeca Andrade, of Brazil, during the medal ceremony for the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Morocco's Widad Bertal celebrates after defeating Thailand's Jutamas Jitpong in their women's 54kg preliminary boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)
France and Argentina players argue at the end of a quarter final soccer match between France and Argentina, at Bordeaux Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Bordeaux, France. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Tom Reuveny of Israel jumps from his iQFOiL windsurfer after finishing first in the final race to win the men's iQFOiL windsurfing class gold medal during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Scottie Scheffler, of the United States, hits from the second tee during the final round of the men's golf event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Algeria's Imane Khelif celebrates after defeating China's Yang Liu to win gold in their women's 66 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Brazil's Priscila eyes the ball during a women's semifinal soccer match between Brazil and Spain at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at Marseille Stadium in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
The Archery venue can be seen from atop Les Invalides at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, Pool)
United State's Nick Itkin competes with France's Enzo Lefort in the men's team foil bronze final match during the 2024 Summer Olympics at the Grand Palais, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Romain Mahieu of France, winner of the bronze medal in the men's race, hugs women's gold medallist Saya Sakakibara of Australia, following the BMX racing events, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Belgium's Emma Puvrez celebrates after scoring her side's first goal during the women's semi-final field hockey match between Belgium and China at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Colombes, France. (AP Photo/ Anjum Naveed)
Ramzi Boukhiam, of Morrocco, falls while competing during the second round of the 2024 Summer Olympics surfing competition Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Teahupo'o, Tahiti. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Team Germany, second from bottom, competes in the women's quadruple sculls rowing final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Official doctors prohibit Algeria's Chaimaa Fouzia Aouissi to fight in the round of 16 of the women's freestyle 57kg wrestling match against Nigeria's Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Quincy Hall, of the United States, celebrates after winning the men's 400-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Canada's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander grabs a rebound during a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Pool)
Andre de Grasse, of Canada, left, celebrates with Aaron Brown, after winning the men's 4 x 100-meter relay final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Darlan Ferreira Souza,center, of Brazil, spikes the ball against Egypt during the Group B men's volleyball match between Brazil and Egypt at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
Jon Rahm, of Spain, plays off the 11th tee during the final round of the men's golf event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Zheng Qinwen of China celebrates as she defeats Iga Swiatek of Poland during their women's tennis semifinal match at the Roland Garros Stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics on Aug.1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Nicholas Paul of Trinidad And Tobago competes during the men's sprint event, at the Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Serbia's Novak Djokovic embraces his daughter Tara after defeating Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles tennis final at the Roland Garros Stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Kimberley Woods of Britain competes in the women's kayak cross time trial at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Petra Simon, of Hungary, attempts to score against Netherlands during a women's handball match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Spain's Alvaro Granados Ortega shoots to score during a men's water polo Group B preliminary match between Serbia and Spain, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Spain's Alex Baena, right, celebrates after scoring his goal during the men's soccer gold medal match between France and Spain at the Parc des Princes during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Simone Biles of the United States competes on the balance beam during a women's artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
People watch the cauldron rise at sunset by the Olympic rings during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday that it authorized its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria in an apparent Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah's communications network but that another company based in Budapest manufactured them.
Pagers used by the militant group Hezbollah exploded near-simultaneously Tuesday in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people, including an 8-year-old girl, and wounding nearly 3,000.
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack.
An American official said Israel briefed the United States on Tuesday after the conclusion of the operation, in which small amounts of explosive secreted in the pagers were detonated. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the information publicly.
The AR-924 pagers were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, based in Hungary’s capital, according to a statement released Wednesday by Gold Apollo.
“According to the cooperation agreement, we authorize BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC,” the statement read.
Gold Apollo chair Hsu Ching-kuang told journalists Wednesday that his company has had a licensing agreement with BAC for the past three years, but did not provide evidence of the contract.
At about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, as people shopped for groceries, sat in cafes or drove cars and motorcycles, the pagers in their hands or pockets started heating up and then exploding — leaving blood-splattered scenes and panicking bystanders.
It appeared that many of those hit were members of Hezbollah, but it was not immediately clear if non-Hezbollah members also carried any of the exploding pagers.
The blasts were mainly in areas where the group has a strong presence, particularly a southern Beirut suburb and in the Beqaa region of eastern Lebanon, as well as in Damascus, according to Lebanese security officials and a Hezbollah official. The Hezbollah official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Hezbollah, which has pointed the blame at Israel, said in a statement Wednesday morning that it would continue its normal strikes against Israel “as in all the past days” as part of what it describes as a support front for its ally, Hamas, and Palestinians in Gaza.
“This path is continuous and separate from the difficult reckoning that the criminal enemy must await for its massacre on Tuesday that it committed against our people, our families and our fighters in Lebanon,” it said. “This is another reckoning that will come, God willing.”
Hezbollah began firing rockets over the border into Israel on Oct. 8, the day after a deadly Hamas-led attack in southern Israel triggered a massive Israeli counteroffensive and the ongoing war in Gaza. Since then, Hezbollah and Israeli forces have exchanged strikes near-daily, killing hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displacing tens of thousands on each side of the border.
At hospitals in Beirut on Wednesday, the chaos of the night before had largely subsided, but relatives of the wounded continued to wait.
Lebanon Health Minister Firas Abiad told journalists during a tour on hospitals Wednesday morning that many of the wounded had severe injuries to the eyes, and others had limbs amputated. Journalists were not allowed to enter hospital rooms or film patients.
The health minister said that the wounded had been distributed among all the area hospitals to avoid any single facility being overloaded and added that Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Egypt offered to help in treating the patients.
Earlier Wednesday, an Iraqi military plane landed in Beirut carrying medical equipment, airport officials said. Abiad said the plane was carrying 15 tons of medicine and medical equipment.
Experts believe explosive material was put into the pagers prior to their delivery and use in a sophisticated supply chain infiltration.
The AR-924 pager, advertised as being “rugged,” contains a rechargeable lithium battery, according to specifications once advertised on Gold Apollo’s website before it was apparently taken down Tuesday after the sabotage attack. It could receive texts of up to 100 characters.
It also claimed to have up to 85 days of battery life. That would be crucial in Lebanon, where electricity outages have been common after years of economic collapse. Pagers also run on a different wireless network than mobile phones, making them more resilient in emergencies — one of the reasons why many hospitals worldwide still rely on them.
Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs said from the beginning of 2022 until August 2024, Gold Apollo has exported 260,000 sets of pagers, including more than 40,000 sets between January and August of this year. The ministry said the pagers were exported mainly to European and American countries and that it had no records of direct exports of Gold Apollo pagers to Lebanon.
For Hezbollah, the militants also looked at the pagers as a means to sidestep what’s believed to be intensive Israeli electronic surveillance on mobile phone networks in Lebanon.
“The phone that we have in our hands — I do not have a phone in my hand — is a listening device,” warned Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in a February speech.
He later added: “I tell you that the phone in your hands, in your wife’s hands, and in your children’s hands is the agent. It is a deadly agent, not a simple one. It is a deadly agent that provides specific and accurate information. Therefore, this requires great seriousness when confronting it.”
Associated Press journalists Bassem Mroue and Abby Sewell in Beirut; Zeke Miller in Washington; and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
Civil Defense first-responders carry a man who was wounded after his handheld pager exploded, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.(AP Photo)
Hsu Ching-kuang, chairman of Apollo Gold, talks about the Taiwan company's communication products at the headquarters in New Taipei City, Taiwan Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)
Hsu Ching-kuang, chairman of Apollo Gold, talks about the Taiwan company's communication products at the headquarters in New Taipei City, Taiwan Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)
A police officer inspects a car in which a hand-held pager exploded, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
People gather outside the American University hospital after the arrival of several men who were wounded by exploded handheld pagers, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bassam Masri)
Lebanese soldiers stand guard at a street that leads to the American University hospital where they bring wounded people whose handheld pager exploded, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)