Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the US for a working visit, not empty-handed. Before his meetings with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Netanyahu presented the Republican leader with thoughtful gifts from Israel. The items in question were two walkie-talkies, or, in more common parlance, hand-held radios.
According to Israeli press reports, this was a nod to the series of explosions in Lebanon last September, in which thousands of walkie-talkies and hand-held radios used by the Hezbollah detonated. Trump, in turn, received a standard and a gold-plated walkie-talkie from Netanyahu. The US President expressed delight, describing the Israeli intelligence operation as “crazy.”
The negotiations between the top politicians lasted for five hours. In an interview with the Russian news agency TASS, a cabinet member of the Israeli government characterized Netanyahu’s visit to the US as historic, describing it as the friendliest meeting in the history of Israeli-American relations.
On September 17, thousands of hand-held radios used by the Hezbollah organization exploded across Lebanon. A day later, numerous walkie-talkies detonated, resulting in at least 37 fatalities and more than 3,000 injured. Israel took responsibility for the operation.