ALBAWABA - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly presented former U.S. President Donald Trump with a gold-colored wireless communication device (pager) as a symbolic gesture referencing a covert Israeli intelligence operation against Hezbollah members in Lebanon.
According to Israeli media, Netanyahu gifted Trump two pagers—one gold and another standard model—during their recent meeting. Trump, upon receiving the gift, allegedly remarked, “It was a fantastic operation,” in reference to Israel’s targeted attack on Hezbollah’s communication devices.
The operation in question took place on September 17, 2024, when Hezbollah announced that hundreds of its fighters and Lebanese civilians had suffered injuries of varying severity following explosions that targeted pagers they carried. Hezbollah accused Israel of being behind these synchronized blasts, which were reported in multiple locations across Lebanon, including Beirut’s southern suburbs, Bekaa, Nabatieh, Al-Hosh, Bint Jbeil, Tyre, Tripoli, and Baalbek.
Israeli forces reportedly launched extensive attacks on September 17 and 18, targeting thousands of Hezbollah-operated pagers and wireless communication devices. The strikes resulted in dozens of fatalities and thousands of injuries across Lebanon.
Following the attacks, Lebanon filed an official complaint with the International Labour Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency. Mustafa Bayram, Lebanon’s acting Minister of Labor, condemned the strikes, describing them as “an act of war against humanity, technology, and labor.”
The incident has added to the ongoing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, with the Lebanese group vowing to retaliate. Meanwhile, Netanyahu's symbolic gift to Trump has been interpreted as a sign of strong cooperation between the two leaders on security and intelligence matters.
