Trump 'caught off guard' by Israeli strikes on Syria: White House
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US President Donald Trump was reportedly surprised by Israeli airstrikes on Damascus and the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, hands US President Donald Trump a folder during a meeting in the Blue Room of the White House, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Washington (AP)
US President Donald Trump was "caught off guard" by Israeli strikes on Syria the previous week, said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, adding that he subsequently addressed the matter in discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Israel" had carried out strikes targeting the capital Damascus, as well as the southern city of Sweida, which has a Druze-majority population, claiming that the objective was to exert pressure on the Syrian government to pull back its forces from the area due to the continuing clashes taking place there.
Leavitt informed reporters during a press briefing that Trump "was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza."
"The president enjoys a good working relationship with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and stays in frequent communication with him. He was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and the bombing of the Catholic church in Gaza ... and in both cases, the president quickly called the prime minister to rectify these situations," Leavitt said, highlighting the ceasefire reached in Syria.
Moreover, the White House spokesperson referenced reports of additional civilian casualties in Gaza while stating that the president "never likes seeing this" and further claiming that Trump desires "the killing to stop," seeks a ceasefire, and calls for the release of all captives.
In a Sunday article by Axios, six US officials expressed increasing frustrations with Netanyahu regarding Syria and other recent developments, with some cautioning that his relationship with Trump might worsen as a consequence.
Netanyahu likened to a 'child that won't behave'
According to reports, the Trump administration has grown increasingly concerned about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent military actions in Syria, with multiple senior officials characterizing the strikes as irresponsible and escalating tensions in the region.
One White House official sharply criticized Netanyahu's behavior in a July 21 Axios report by stating, "Bibi acted like a madman, he bombs everything all the time," while another official similarly disparaged the Israeli leader by remarking, "He's a child who just won't behave."
"The feeling is that every day there is something new. What the f**?" one senior official told Axios, describing the White House’s growing irritation toward the Israeli prime minister.
White House officials are reportedly growing more convinced that Netanyahu's recent decisions reflect domestic political calculations rather than genuine concerns for regional security. One official told Axios that "Bibi's political agenda is clouding his judgment; this will prove to be a significant miscalculation for him in the long run," while another provided a more crude assessment, "The Israelis need to pull their head out of their asses."
