Netanyahu 'gave Trump a golden pager' in reference to Lebanon attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented U.S. President Donald Trump with a gold-plated pager and a regular pager, an apparent reference to the pager attacks that occurred in Lebanon in September 2024. This symbolic gesture aimed to highlight the severity and impact of the attacks.

In return, President Trump gifted Netanyahu a photograph of the two leaders together, taken during a visit by the Prime Minister to the U.S., with the inscription "To Netanyahu, a great leader," according to Israel's Channel 12 news. Trump reportedly described the Lebanon attacks as "a great operation," further emphasizing his perspective on the events.

On September 17, 2024, thousands of pagers exploded across Lebanon, resulting in at least 14 deaths and 3,000 injuries. The following day, [walkie-talkies also detonated](https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hand-held-radios-used-hezbollah-detonated-lebanon), including at some of the funerals of those killed the previous day, leading to at least 20 further deaths. The widespread nature of these explosions caused significant panic and disruption.

The operation targeted members of Hezbollah in Lebanon, but many unaffiliated individuals were also harmed. Nevertheless, the vast majority of Hezbollah members targeted were not combatants. An estimated 4,000 people were maimed in the two attacks, many with head and abdominal injuries, and some were blinded or lost limbs, particularly fingers. Victims included a 10-year-old girl killed in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley when her Hezbollah member father's pager exploded. The son of a Hezbollah parliamentarian was also reportedly among the dead.