By Lazar Berman
The White House is alarmed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decisions in Syria, multiple Trump administration officials tell Axios, calling the premier a “madman” and “child who just won’t behave.”
“Bibi acted like a madman. He bombs everything all the time,” a White House official tells the US outlet. “This could undermine what Trump is trying to do.”
Israel carried out strikes on Syrian troops and key buildings in Damascus on Wednesday, after government forces were accused of killing scores of people in the Druze city of Sweida.
“The feeling is that every day there is something new. What the f***?” says a second senior US official after an Israeli tank shell hit a church in Gaza, killing three.
While Trump did not publicly address the strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church, he held an angry phone call with Netanyahu and demanded that he release a statement expressing regret over the incident.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt separately told reporters that Trump’s reaction to the incident “was not a positive reaction.”
There is growing skepticism in the US administration about Netanyahu and his policies, says a third official, adding that “Netanyahu is sometimes like a child who just won’t behave.”
It is not clear whether the officials’ frustrations reflect the feelings of US President Donald Trump.
According the report, US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack asked Israel on Tuesday to halt its attacks on Syria to make room for diplomacy, and Israel agreed. However, on Wednesday, Israel carried out extensive attacks in Syria, including on its military headquarters and close to the presidential palace.
Saudi Arabia and Turkey complained to the White House, as did Barrack and US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“The bombing in Syria caught the president and the White House by surprise,” says an official. “The president doesn’t like turning on the television and seeing bombs dropped in a country he is seeking peace in and made a monumental announcement to help rebuild.”
“Bibi’s political agenda is driving his senses. It will turn out to be a big mistake for him long-term,” says one official.
A senior Israeli official tells Axios that Trump urged Netanyahu to hold onto Syrian territory early in his term, and hasn’t complained about Israeli military operations there.
“The US wants to keep the new Syrian government stable and doesn’t understand why we attack in Syria, because of attacks on the Druze community there,” says the official. “We tried to explain to them that this is our commitment to the Druze community in Israel.”
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