Trump ‘caught off guard’ by Israel’s strikes in Syria
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Syrian government security forces during their deployment in Busra al-Harir in Syria's southern Daraa province on July 21.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump was “caught off guard” by Israeli strikes in Syria last week
Israel had launched strikes on the Syrian capital Damascus and the southern Druze-majority city of Sweida, saying it aimed to put pressure on the Syrian government to withdraw its troops from the region amid ongoing clashes there.
Mr Trump “was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza
“In both accounts, the (US) President quickly called the (Israeli) Prime Minister to rectify those situations,” she continued.
Mr Netanyahu had visited the White House earlier this month, his third trip since Mr Trump returned to power on Jan 20.
Ms Leavitt said: “The President enjoys a good working relationship with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, and stays in, you know, frequent communication with him.
“When it came to Syria, we saw a de-escalation there.”
Israel and Syria entered a US-brokered ceasefire
That day, Mr Netanyahu called Pope Leo to express regret at the strike on the Catholic church in Gaza, blaming a “stray missile”.
In May, Mr Trump met Syria’s Islamist President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia shortly after lifting many longstanding US sanctions against Damascus.
Mr Trump later praised the Syrian leader, who led a major armed group that was once aligned with Al-Qaeda and toppled the Syrian government in December.
The US removed a bounty on Mr Sharaa’s head after he came to power. AFP
