US President Donald Trump was blindsided by Israel’s recent airstrikes in Syria, the White House acknowledged on Monday, in a rare sign of tension between two close allies.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump was not informed in advance of the Israeli operation, which targeted Syrian military sites in Damascus and the country’s south. The strikes reportedly hit near the presidential palace and destroyed part of Syria’s defence ministry.
“He was “caught off guard” by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of a Catholic Church in Gaza,” Leavitt said, referring to a separate Israeli strike last week. “In both accounts, the president quickly called the prime minister to rectify those situations.”
Israel said the strikes were intended to protect the Druze, a small but politically sensitive minority in Syria with ties to Israel and Lebanon. But the surprise move has raised questions inside the White House as Trump tries to broker an end to the Gaza war and throw US support behind Syria’s new government after years of civil war.
The airstrikes came just days before the Syrian state news agency accused Israel of launching more attacks near Sweida, a region gripped by fresh violence involving government troops, Druze militias, and Bedouin fighters. Dozens of people were reported killed.
While Trump and Netanyahu have long been in lockstep on Middle East policy — especially on Iran — Leavitt’s comments marked a rare public split. Trump is pushing for an end to the war in Gaza and trying to support the new Syrian government as the country emerges from years of civil war.
Trump’s special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, told The Associated Press that Israel’s intervention in Syria “creates another very confusing chapter” and “came at a very bad time.”
The US has publicly distanced itself from the strikes on July 17, saying it did not support the latest Israeli military action and had made its displeasure clear to officials in Jerusalem.
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With inputs from Associated Press
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