Israeli Prime Minister Gifts Donald Trump Golden Pager Amid Tensions with Hezbollah

TDT | USA

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In a symbolic gesture, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented former U.S. President Donald Trump with a golden pager during their recent meeting at the White House, an act that holds significant political weight amid the ongoing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. Netanyahu’s office confirmed the gift, which references a deadly Israeli operation in Lebanon and Syria earlier in September.

The golden pager was accompanied by a plaque that praised Trump as “our greatest friend and greatest ally,” underscoring the strong relationship between the two leaders. Along with the golden pager, Netanyahu also gifted Trump a regular pager during the visit.

Trump’s response to receiving the gift was notably brief, with the former president remarking, “that was a great operation,” as an Israeli official shared with ABC News.

The golden pager serves as a memento of Israel’s covert military operation on September 17, which involved the simultaneous explosion of thousands of pagers across Lebanon and Syria. The attacks, attributed to Israel, resulted in at least 37 deaths in Lebanon, including 12 civilians, and left over 2,900 injured, according to Lebanese authorities. Among the civilian victims were an 8-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy, as reported by Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad.

In Syria, at least 14 people were injured in targeted attacks on Hezbollah members, as confirmed by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Hezbollah quickly condemned the operation, calling it a “criminal aggression” that resulted in both civilian deaths and injuries. The group accused Israel of exacerbating tensions and called the attacks a direct violation of international law.

The United Nations also weighed in, with the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon describing the explosions as an “extremely concerning escalation” in an already volatile situation.

In a statement regarding the golden pager, Netanyahu's office framed the gift as a representation of the Israeli decision that “led to a turnaround in the war and the starting point for breaking the spirit” of Hezbollah. The statement emphasized the operation’s significance, noting that it symbolizes Israel’s technological superiority, power, and strategic ingenuity in the face of its enemies.

The covert operation, which has ignited controversy, continues to underscore the delicate and fraught nature of Israel’s relations with Hezbollah, as well as its broader regional dynamics in the Middle East.