WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump was “caught off guard” by Israeli strikes in Syria final week, White Home spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt mentioned on Monday (Jul 21), including that he mentioned the difficulty with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel had launched strikes on the capital Damascus and the southern Druze-majority metropolis of Sweida, saying it aimed to place strain on the Syrian authorities to withdraw its troops from the area amid ongoing clashes there.
Trump “was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and likewise the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza”, Leavitt informed reporters at a press briefing.
“In each accounts, the president rapidly referred to as the prime minister to rectify these conditions,” she continued.
Netanyahu had visited the White Home earlier this month, his third journey since Trump returned to energy on Jan 20.
“The president enjoys an excellent working relationship with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, and stays in, you already know, frequent communication with him,” Leavitt mentioned.
“When it got here to Syria, we noticed a de-escalation there.”