The White House expressed concern over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision in Syria, according to officials in the Trump administration on Sunday, describing him as "crazy" and a "misbehaving child," Axios reported.
"Bibi (Netanyahu) is acting like a madman. He's bombing everything all the time," the news site quoted a White House official as saying, using Netanyahu's nickname. "This could undermine what Trump is trying to do."
It's worth noting that Israel began launching airstrikes on Syrian forces advancing into Sweida on Tuesday after local government forces were accused of killing dozens in the Druze city. On Wednesday, the Israeli military bombed key buildings in Damascus.
According to the website, the White House expressed concern about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decisions in Syria, according to what officials in the administration of US President Donald Trump reported on Sunday, describing him as "crazy" and a "child who doesn't behave."
"The feeling is that every day there's something new. What the hell is this?" another senior US official said after an Israeli tank shell hit a church in Gaza, killing three people, in what the Israel Defense Forces described as a mistake.
While Trump did not publicly address the raid on Gaza's only Catholic church, he made an angry phone call to Netanyahu and demanded that he issue a statement expressing his regret for the incident, which Netanyahu did shortly thereafter.
As the US State Department spokeswoman told reporters on Thursday, the president "was not happy," indicating that Trump was angry.
According to a third official who spoke to Axios, there is growing skepticism within the US administration about Netanyahu and his policies, adding that Netanyahu sometimes acts recklessly.
Trump, in an unprecedented and foul-mouthed public address, expressed his frustration with Israel last month when it planned a massive airstrike in response to Iran firing a single missile after a ceasefire that ended the 12-day war.
According to Axios, US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack asked Israel on Tuesday (July 15) to halt its attacks on Syria to allow for diplomacy, and Israel agreed. However, on Wednesday (July 16), Israel launched large-scale attacks in Syria, including on its military headquarters and near the presidential palace.
Israel claimed it was acting in support of the Druze, who constitute a large community in Israel and are seen as a loyal minority, many of whom serve in the Israeli military.
Both Saudi Arabia and Turkey complained to the White House, as did Barak and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
A US official was quoted as saying, "The bombing in Syria caught the president and the White House by surprise. The president doesn't like watching bombs dropped on television in a country where he seeks peace, and he issued a massive announcement to help rebuild it."
"Netanyahu's political agenda is driving his thinking," one official said. "It will prove to be a huge mistake in the long run."
A senior Israeli official told Axios that Trump urged Netanyahu to hold onto Syrian territory early in his term and did not complain about Israeli military operations there.
"The United States wants to maintain the stability of the new Syrian government and doesn't understand why we are attacking Syria because of attacks on the Druze there," the official said. "We tried to explain to them that this is our commitment to the Druze community in Israel."
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported that more than 1,000 people have been killed since the violence erupted a week ago, including 336 Druze fighters and 298 civilians from the Druze minority, in addition to 342 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouins.
שתף את דעתך
Growing doubts in the US administration about Netanyahu