Trump ‘caught off guard' by Israeli strikes on Syria last week
Israel launched strikes on the capital Damascus and the southern Druze-majority city of Sweida last week, saying it aimed to put pressure on the Syrian government to withdraw its troops from the region amid ongoing clashes there.
Trump 'was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza,' spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing on Monday.
'In both accounts, the president quickly called the prime minister to rectify those situations,' she continued.
An Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church last week, killed three people and injured 10 others including the parish priest, who used to receive daily calls from the late Pope Francis.
The Israeli prime minister called Pope Leo to express regret over the strike on the Gaza church, blaming a 'stray missile.'
Netanyahu visited the White House earlier this month, his third trip since Trump returned to power in January, and Leavitt praised his relationship with the president, adding they were in 'frequent communication.'
Israel and Syria on Friday began a US-brokered ceasefire and on Monday, Syrian authorities evacuated Bedouin families from Sweida.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the ceasefire was largely holding despite isolated gunfire in areas north of Sweida city, with no new reports of casualties.
Last week's clashes in the southern province killed more than 1,260 people, according to the war monitor, and have shaken the rule of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has pledged to protect minorities in a country devastated by 14 years of war.
In May, Trump met with Sharaa in Saudi Arabia and announced the lifting of many longstanding US sanctions against Damascus.
Trump later praised the leader, who led a major armed group that was once aligned with al-Qaida and toppled the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad in December.
The United States removed a bounty on Sharaa after he came to power.
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Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
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21 minutes ago
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Dramatic footage released by the IDF showed the bloodied Sinwar, his face concealed by a scarf, throwing a stick in a final attempt to defend himself against the drone just seconds before he was assassinated. Two 120mm tank shells slammed into the building, as well as a surface-to-surface Matador missile, with shrapnel scything across the upper floors and killing Sinwar. Unaware they had taken out Israel's prime target, the soldiers did not return to the site until the following morning, when soldiers from the 450th Infantry Battalion were sent in to get a closer look. As they inspected the dead, they realised one bore a striking resemblance to the Hamas leader. Graphic images emerged of his corpse lying on the rubble surrounded by Israeli soldiers, while close ups showed a catastrophic head wound and multiple injuries. He was found with a weapon, a flak jacket and 40,000 shekels (£8,250). 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Recently, hostage talks have stalled, reportedly due to the difficulty of even reaching Hamas's scattered leadership in Gaza. But despite occasional deadly ambushes on Israeli troops, Hamas is no longer capable of large-scale coordinated operations, analysts have said.
