Here's Why Netanyahu Gifted Trump A Golden Pager At White House Meeting

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gifted US President Donald Trump a golden pager and a regular pager during their meeting at the White House on Tuesday. The gleaming gift - as well as the regular beeper - was a reference to Israel's deadly pager attack on Iran in September, The Jerusalem Post reported. Mr Trump thanked Mr Netanyahu for the unusual offering. "That Was A Great Operation," Mr Trump told the Israeli leader.

In a gesture of return gift, the US President gave Mr Natanyahu a photo of the two of them from the visit, with the dedication "To Bibi, a great leader". 

Lebanon pager attack

In September last year, thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon exploded, killing and injuring dozens. A day later, hundreds of walkie-talkies also blew up, killing and injuring scores more. 

About two months later, Mr Netanyahu confirmed that he greenlighted the pager operation in Lebanon. It was revealed that Israel's Mossad intelligence agency planted explosives inside pagers ordered by Hezbollah months before the blasts on September 17 and 18. At least 39 Iran-backed Hezbollah members were killed and nearly 3,000 others injured. 

Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting across the Lebanese border since the war in Gaza erupted after Hamas attacked Israeli towns in October. Since then, several Hezbollah fighters, including former chief of the Iran-backed group Hassan Nasrallah, have been killed.

Israel's Netanyahu in US

Mr Netanyahu arrived in Washington earlier this week to meet with Donald Trump and senior administration officials to discuss the Gaza ceasefire deal and his plans for the Middle East. 

Following the meeting, Mr Trump vowed that the United States would "take over" and "own" the Gaza Strip and deploy American troops in the region if necessary. He said that the US would get rid of unexploded bombs, "level the site" and remove destroyed buildings, and "create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area."

Mr Netanyahu, on the other hand, called Mr Trump the "greatest friend Israel has ever had" and said, "people of Israel have such enormous respect" for the American leader. He said the US president's Gaza plan could "change history" and was worth "paying attention to."

The Israeli leader said Mr Trump was "thinking outside the box with fresh ideas" and was "showing a willingness to puncture conventional thinking." He also credited Mr Trump for the Gaza hostage deal and said, "Your leadership has brought hostages home."