Donald Trump was given a golden pager and a regular one by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an apparent reference to the September 2024 pager attacks on Lebanon.
According to Channel 12 news, the US president in return gave Netanyahu a photo of the two of them from the premier’s visit, with the dedication “To Bibi, a great leader”.
Trump reportedly described the Lebanon attack as a “great operation”.
On 17 September 2024, thousands of pagers exploded across Lebanon, killing at least 14 people and wounding 3,000 others.
The next day, walkie-talkies blew up, including at the funerals of some of those who died the previous day, leaving at least 20 further people dead.
The operation was aimed at members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, though many unaffiliated individuals were also hurt, while the vast majority of the members of the group targeted in the attacks were non-combatants.
Many of the estimated 4,000 people who were maimed in both attacks had injuries to the head and stomach, while some lost their eyesight or limbs, notably fingers.
Among the victims was a 10-year-old girl who was killed in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley when the pager of her father, who is a Hezbollah member, exploded.
The son of a Hezbollah MP was also reportedly among those killed.
