Chicago February 7, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave President Donald Trump a unique gift during his recent visit to Washington, D.C. – a gold-plated pager. This gift was a nod to a controversial attack on Hezbollah last September, believed to have been carried out by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency ¹.
On September 17, 2024, thousands of pagers, walkie-talkie-like devices, and radios exploded across Lebanon and Syria, killing 32 people and injuring 3,250 others, according to the United Nations. Netanyahu’s office said the pager symbolizes the prime minister’s decision that led to a turning point in the war and marked the beginning of Hezbollah’s strategic collapse.
This gift has raised eyebrows, as the attack was intended to target Hezbollah terrorists but also harmed civilians, including children. The gift is seen as a symbol of Netanyahu’s acknowledgment of Israel’s role in the attack.
