Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave US President Donald Trump a golden pager and a regular pager as a gift during a recent White House meeting. The unusual gift was a reference to Israel’s deadly pager attack on Iran in September 2024, The Jerusalem Post reported. The US President, on the other hand, presented Mr. Netanyahu with a photo of the two of them from the visit, inscribed with the dedication, “To Bibi, a great leader.”
“That was a great operation,” Trump reportedly remarked to Netanyahu after receiving the gift.
Israel’s pager attack on Hezbollah
Thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon detonated in September last year, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. The following day, hundreds of walkie-talkies also exploded, causing further casualties.
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Two months later, Mr. Netanyahu confirmed authorizing the pager operation in Lebanon. It was disclosed that Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency had embedded explosives inside pagers ordered by Hezbollah months prior to the September 17 and 18 blasts. The operation resulted in the deaths of at least 39 Iran-backed Hezbollah members and injuries to nearly 3,000 others.
Donald Trump vows to take over Gaza
Netanyahu visited Washington to congratulate Trump on his electoral victory and to discuss the U.S.-Israeli collaboration on Middle Eastern strategy. Netanyahu expressed his eagerness to work with Trump to “redraw” the region “for the better.”
During a joint press conference, Trump elaborated on their plans, announcing intentions to “take over” Gaza and forcibly relocate its Palestinian population. “We’ll own it … We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal … the Riviera of the Middle East,” Trump stated.
Israel PM meets Elon Musk
During his US visit, Netanyahu met with Trump aide Elon Musk. Netanyahu’s son, Yair, posted a photo on Instagram with Musk and Netanyahu, calling the two men “geniuses.” Musk is currently involved in an initiative to scrutinize government spending through his DOGE program.