After Israeli strikes on Damascus, Syria withdraws troops from Suwayda to avoid 'open war'
Eyad Kourdi, Catherine Nicholls, Eugenia Yosef, Mostafa Salem
and
Mohammed Tawfeeq
, CNN
Israeli Airstrikes hit the Syrian Ministry of Defence and a site near the Presidential Palace in Damascus, on 16 July 2025.
Photo:
Rami Alsayed / NurPhoto / AFP
Israel carried out a
series of powerful strikes
on the Syrian capital Damascus, escalating a campaign it said is in support of the
country's Druze population
- an Arab minority group involved in deadly clashes with Syrian government forces.
The strikes on Wednesday (local time), which Syria said killed at least three people in its capital, sent US officials scrambling to prevent a larger clash between the neighbouring countries, with Syria agreeing to withdraw its troops from the southern city of Suwayda and a new ceasefire deal with Druze militia in the area.
Israeli airstrikes hit the Syrian Ministry of Defence and a site near the Presidential Palace in Damascus on 16 July 2025.
Photo:
Rami Alsayed / NurPhoto / AFP
In a televised address to the nation early Thursday,
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa
said the nation was faced with two options: either "an open war [with Israel] at the cost of our Druze citizens [or allowing Druze clerics] to return to reason and prioritise the national interest."
"We are not afraid of war, our history is filled with battles to defend our people, but we chose the path that puts the welfare of Syrians above chaos and destruction," said al-Sharaa.
Israel has stepped up strikes against Syria despite pressure from the US, which has made moves to end the country's international isolation after rebels seized power following the fall of the Assad regime late last year.
Wednesday's airstrikes on Damascus targeted several government buildings in the Syrian capital. One video from a Syrian television channel showed the Ministry of Defense building being hit live on air, forcing the anchor to take cover.
Smoke billows following Israeli strikes near the Syrian Army and Defence Ministry headquarters in Damascus on 16 July 2025.
Photo:
Rami al-Sayed / AFP
In his address on Thursday, al-Sharaa accused Israel of trying to divide the Syrian people and vowed to protect the rights of the Druze population.
"The Israeli entity, known for its repeated attempts to destabilise us and sow division, once again seeks to turn our land into a battlefield of chaos and to dismantle the fabric of our people," he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said the Trump administration had engaged with all parties to the conflict to end the clashes in Syria.
"We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight. This will require all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made and this is what we fully expect them to do," Rubio said on X.
Rubio also described the latest tension between Israel and Syria as a "misunderstanding", saying, "we have been engaging with them all morning long," in a video Rubio shared on X showing him in the Oval Office with US President Donald Trump.
Members of the Druze community in Israel and their supporters wave a Druze flag and raise placards near the US Embassy in Jerusalem to show solidarity with their community in neighbouring Syria, on 16 July 2025.
Photo:
Ahmad Gharabli / AFP
The Syrian government said on Wednesday night local time that its army forces started withdrawing from Suwayda, according to the country's state-run
SANA
news agency. Video on Syrian TV purportedly showed a convoy of military vehicles driving out of Suwayda city.
"The withdrawal of Syrian Arab Army forces from Suwayda has begun, in implementation of the agreement reached between the Syrian state and the Druze religious leadership in the city, following the army's completion of its mission to pursue outlawed groups,"
SANA
said.
The Syrian government, meanwhile, announced a new ceasefire with the Druze, but it is unclear whether it will come into force amid splits among the group.
Syrian security forces ride a vehicle during a demonstration against Israeli intervention in Syria, in Damascus on 16 July 2025.
Photo:
Rami al-Sayed / AFP
At least 169 people have been killed, and 200 others injured during several days of clashes, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said on Wednesday.
The escalating violence included extrajudicial killings, exchanges of artillery, and airstrikes by Israeli forces, the monitoring group said.
Syrian security forces fire towards a position near the Mazraa area, near Sweida on 14 July 2025.
Photo:
Bakr Alkasem / AFP
CNN cannot independently verify SNHR's figures and is reaching out to the Syrian government for comment regarding the death toll.
Israel, which has been carrying out strikes on Syria since the fall of the Assad regime last December, said it is attacking Syria to protect the Druze, an Arab minority at the centre of clashes with government loyalists.
Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, shared the footage of the attacks on Damascus, saying, "The painful blows have begun."
In a press briefing held by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), a military official confirmed Israel had targeted the ministry and an area near the presidential palace.
Syria's security forces stand on a tank in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida on 15 July 2025, following clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters.
Photo:
Bakr Alkasem / AFP
However, another incentive behind Israel's decision to strike could be related to its opposition of the current Syrian government.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously referred to the new leaders of the country as an "extremist Islamic regime" and a threat to the state of Israel.
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Wednesday that his country wants to "maintain the status quo in southern Syria - an area near our border - and prevent the emergence of threats against Israel in that space."
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres expressed alarm over the continued escalation of violence in Suwayda in a statement on Wednesday. He condemned all violence against civilians, including reports of arbitrary killings and acts that exacerbate sectarian tensions in the country.
Members of Syria's Druze community walk through tear gas fumes released by Israeli forces to disperse them as they attempt to cross the barbed-wire fence with the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on 16 July 2025.
Photo:
Jalaa Marey / AFP)
Guterres also condemned "Israel's escalatory airstrikes on Suwayda, Daraa and in the centre of Damascus," calling for "an immediate cessation of all violations of Syria's sovereignty."
Several countries in the region, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, condemned the Israeli strikes in Syria.
Iran, which fought its own war with Israel last month, condemned the Israeli strikes on Syria as "unhinged aggression."
Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, said he is "very concerned by the Israeli strikes on Damascus," calling for respect for Syria's sovereignty in a post on X on Wednesday.
The Druze, an Arab sect of roughly one million people who primarily live in Syria, Lebanon and Israel, practice an offshoot of Islam which permits no converts - either to or from the religion - and no intermarriage. The Druze are made up of a network of groups with multiple figureheads.
Members of the Druze community attempt to enter Syria through the buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near Majdal Shams on 16 July 2025.
Photo:
Jalaa Marey / AFP)
Syria's new President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has pledged inclusion and vowed to protect all of Syria's diverse communities, but Sunni extremist forces loyal to him have continued to violently confront religious minorities.
Violence broke out over the weekend between Druze forces and Bedouin tribes in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda, prompting an intervention by the Syrian government.
The Syrian government claimed a new ceasefire agreement was reached on Wednesday, but a key figure from the religious minority group denied that a truce was reached. An earlier ceasefire collapsed within hours.
A statement published by the Syrian government said that, under the new ceasefire, there will be a complete halt to military operations, a monitoring committee will be formed with the Druze leaders and members of the community will be leading security in the province.
A Druze spiritual leader representing one of the factions in Suwayda, Youssef Jarbou, confirmed an agreement was reached for a "complete and immediate halt to all military operations and de-escalation from all sides, with the army returning to its barracks."
However, Hikmat al-Hijri - a prominent Druze figure who had asked for international protection on Wednesday - rejected the ceasefire, calling on his supporters to continue fighting.
Clashes continued into Wednesday, and Fadi Hamdan, a carpenter from Suwayda, told CNN that "the situation inside the city is dire."
"Electricity has been out since yesterday (Tuesday) morning. Mobile service is extremely weak, and the internet barely works," Hamdan said. "Landlines are completely down. Water was also cut off yesterday, though it returned briefly this morning."
Hamdan said that the current Syrian interim government "bears full responsibility for what's happening in Suwayda."
Smoke billows during clashes in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida on 15 July 2025.
Photo:
Shadi al-Dubaisi / AFP
Syria's health ministry said "dozens of bodies were found in Suwayda National Hospital after the withdrawal of the outlawed groups."
The ministry said those bodies "belong to Syrian security personnel and civilians," but without providing further details.
In Syria, the Druze community is concentrated around three main provinces close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in the south of the country, and forms a majority in the Suwayda province.
More than 20,000 Druze also live in the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel seized from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967, before formally annexing it in 1981.
Hundreds of people from the Druze community have seemingly crossed over from the Golan Heights into Syria in recent days.
It's unclear when the crossings happened, but separate videos circulating on social media Tuesday and Wednesday showed people carrying Druze flags crossing a border fence allegedly from the Golan Heights into Syria.
They were apparently responding to pleas from Druze leaders to support their community in the ongoing clashes.
Addressing the Druze community in Israel and the Golan Heights on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called on them not to cross over the border.
"I have one request for you: You are citizens of Israel. Do not cross the border," he said.
This story has been updated with developments.
- CNN
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Netanyahu, Trump appear to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas
US President Donald Trump (R) and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu take questions during a press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on 4 February, 2025. Photo: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump appeared to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, both saying it had become clear that the Palestinian militants did not want a deal. Netanyahu said Israel was now mulling "alternative" options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the enclave, where starvation is spreading and most of the population is homeless amid widespread ruin. Trump said he believed Hamas leaders would now be "hunted down", telling reporters: "Hamas really didn't want to make a deal. I think they want to die. And it's very bad. And it got to be to a point where you're going to have to finish the job." The remarks appeared to leave little to no room, at least in the short term, to resume negotiations for a break in the fighting, at a time when international concern is mounting over worsening hunger in war-shattered Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron, responding to the deteriorating humanitarian situation, announced that Paris would become the first major Western power to recognise an independent Palestinian state . Britain and Germany said they were not yet ready to do so but later joined France in calling for an immediate ceasefire. British Prime Minister Keith Starmer said his government would recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal. Trump dismissed Macron's move. "What he says doesn't matter," he said. "He's a very good guy. I like him, but that statement doesn't carry weight." Israel and the United States withdrew their delegations on Thursday from the ceasefire talks in Qatar, hours after Hamas submitted its response to a truce proposal. Sources initially said on Thursday (local time) that the Israeli withdrawal was only for consultations and did not necessarily mean the talks had reached a crisis. But Netanyahu's remarks suggested Israel's position had hardened overnight. US envoy Steve Witkoff said Hamas was to blame for the impasse, and Netanyahu said Witkoff had got it right. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said on Facebook that the talks had been constructive, and criticised Witkoff's remarks as aimed at exerting pressure on Israel's behalf. "What we have presented - with full awareness and understanding of the complexity of the situation - we believe could lead to a deal if the enemy had the will to reach one," he said. Mediators Qatar and Egypt said there had been some progress in the latest round of talks. They said suspensions were a normal part of the process and they were committed to continuing to try to reach a ceasefire in partnership with the US. The proposed ceasefire would suspend fighting for 60 days, allow more aid into Gaza, and free some of the 50 remaining hostages held by militants in return for Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel. It has been held up by disagreement over how far Israel should withdraw its troops and the future beyond the 60 days if no permanent agreement is reached. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right national security minister in Netanyahu's coalition, welcomed Netanyahu's step, calling for a total halt of aid to Gaza and complete conquest of the enclave, adding in a post on X: "Total annihilation of Hamas, encourage emigration, (Jewish) settlement." International aid organisations say mass hunger has now arrived among Gaza's 2.2 million people , with stocks running out after Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March, then reopened it in May but with new restrictions. The Israeli military said on Friday (local time) it had agreed to let countries airdrop aid into Gaza. Hamas dismissed this as a stunt. "The Gaza Strip does not need flying aerobatics, it needs an open humanitarian corridor and a steady daily flow of aid trucks to save what remains of the lives of besieged, starving civilians," Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, told Reuters. Gaza medical authorities said nine more Palestinians had died over the past 24 hours from malnutrition or starvation. Dozens have died in the past few weeks as hunger worsens. Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to distribute it, in what the Israeli foreign ministry called on Friday "a deliberate ploy to defame Israel". The United Nations says it is operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions. United Nations agencies said on Friday that supplies were running out in Gaza of specialised therapeutic food to save the lives of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher also has demanded that Israel provide evidence for its accusations that staff with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were affiliated with Hamas, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The ceasefire talks have been accompanied by continuing Israeli offensives. Palestinian health officials said Israeli airstrikes and gunfire had killed at least 21 people across the enclave on Friday, including five killed in a strike on a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City. In the city, residents carried the body of journalist Adam Abu Harbid through the streets wrapped in a white shroud, his blue flak jacket marked PRESS draped across his body. He was killed overnight in a strike on tents housing displaced people. Mahmoud Awadia, another journalist attending the funeral, said the Israelis were deliberately trying to kill reporters. Israel denies intentionally targeting journalists. Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters stormed Israeli towns near the border, killing some 1200 people and capturing 251 hostages on 7 October, 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, health officials there say, and reduced much of the enclave to ruins. - Reuters

RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Violence is flaring again on the Thai-Cambodian border. Why is it so contentious?
By Helen Regan , Jessie Yeung and Kocha Olarn , CNN A Cambodian BM-21 multiple rocket launcher returns in Preah Vihear province from the Cambodia-Thai border as troops from both sides clash on 24 July. Photo: Stringer/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource Explainer - Deadly violence has flared up once again on the contentious border between Thailand and Cambodia, reigniting a long-running but little-known dispute. Thailand deployed fighter jets against Cambodian military targets on Thursday, as forces from both countries clashed along the border. The escalation came after a second Thai soldier in a week lost their leg in a landmine explosion. Diplomatic relations have deteriorated as a full-blown conflict threatens to break out, as both sides accuse each other of aggression. Thailand's health ministry said Thursday that 12 people, including 11 civilians and one Thai soldier, have been killed in clashes with Cambodian troops. A further 31 people have been injured, the ministry said. Cambodian authorities have not yet reported any fatalities on their side. Here's what to know about the disputed border. Tensions worsened in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed during a brief clash between Thai and Cambodian troops in a contested border area of the Emerald Triangle, where Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet. Thai and Cambodian forces said they were acting in self-defence and blamed the other for the skirmish. Although military leaders from Thailand and Cambodia said they wished to de-escalate, both sides have since engaged in saber-rattling and reinforced troops along the border. Thailand took control of border checkpoints, imposed restrictions on crossings and threatened to cut electricity and internet to Cambodia's border towns. Cambodia in return stopped imports of Thai fruit and vegetables and banned Thai movies and TV dramas. Recent landmine explosions prompted both countries to downgrade relations with each other and recall diplomatic staff. The first soldier lost his leg in a landmine explosion on July 16. The second incident occurred Wednesday, when a blast injured five Thai soldiers, with one losing his leg. Thursday's violence marked a significant escalation. Read more: Thailand and Cambodia have had a complicated relationship of both cooperation and rivalry in recent decades. The two countries share a 508-mile (817-kilometer) land border - largely mapped by the French when they controlled Cambodia as a colony - that has periodically seen military clashes and been the source of political tensions. Cambodia has previously sought a ruling from the UN's International Court of Justice over disputed areas, including the site of the most recent clash. However, Thailand does not recognize the ICJ's jurisdiction and claims that some areas along the border were never fully demarcated, including the sites of several ancient temples. In 2011, Thai and Cambodian troops clashed in a nearby area surrounding the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO world heritage site, displacing thousands of people on both sides and killing at least 20 people. The flare-up in May has had huge political ramifications in Thailand. Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from duties in July after the leak of a phone call she had with Cambodia's powerful former leader Hun Sen, in which she appeared to criticize her own army's actions in the dispute. Paetongtarn hails from a powerful dynasty and became Thailand's youngest prime minister last year, at just 38. She could face full dismissal over the 17-minute phone call - in which she appeared to signal there was discord between her government and the powerful Thai military. The scandal and her suspension brought fresh uncertainty to the Southeast Asian kingdom, which has been roiled by years of political turbulence and leadership shake-ups. Both sides' forces accuse each other of opening fire Thursday morning. Cambodia then fired rockets on Thai soil, Thailand said. A Thai fighter jet later dropped two bombs in Cambodian territory, Cambodia said. Cambodia's Defense Ministry condemned what it called "brutal, barbaric, and violent military aggression," accusing Thailand of violating international law. The ministry said a Thai F-16 had dropped two bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO world heritage site. "Cambodia reserves the right to lawful self-defense and will respond decisively to Thailand's violent aggression," the statement said, adding that the armed forces are "fully prepared to defend the kingdom's sovereignty and its people - whatever the cost." CNN has reached out to UNESCO for comment. Thailand's 2nd regional military command in the northeast said that F-16 fighter jets had been deployed in two areas, and it claimed to have "destroyed" two Cambodian regional military support units. Army spokesperson Col. Richa Suksuwanont said the strikes were aimed only at military targets. Thailand's acting caretaker, Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, said Cambodia fired heavy weapons into Thailand without clear targets, leading to civilian deaths. The acting premier also said the conflict was not spreading into more provinces, according to Reuters. He added that no negotiation with Cambodia can take place until fighting along the border ends. Other countries have also weighed in, urging restraint and warning travellers against approaching the contentious border. At a briefing on Thursday, US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told reporters that the US is "gravely concerned" about the violence. "The United States urges an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians, and a peaceful resolution of the conflicts," Pigott said. Additionally on Thursday, the United Kingdom's Foreign Ministry advised against "all but essential travel" within 50 kilometers of the Cambodia-Thailand border in either country. - CNN

RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Timeline suggests Trump changed his tune on Epstein after learning his name was in the files
Analysis by Aaron Blake , CNN Composite image of Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump. Photo: AFP / NEW YORK STATE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY/HANDOUT The news Wednesday that Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump back in May that his name appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files isn't that surprising, in context. We've known the two men had a relationship dating back decades, and we've seen Trump's name appear in various previously released Epstein-related materials. Being in the documents isn't proof of any wrongdoing. But the news is significant in another way: It adds to questions about precisely why the administration changed its tune on the Epstein files . That doesn't mean there's been a cover-up of any actual Epstein-related misconduct by Trump; there remains no real evidence of that. But the administration clearly started downplaying the Epstein information - in a rather abrupt shift - around the same time Trump was told his name appeared in the files. What's more, sources familiar with the review told CNN the files appeared to include several unsubstantiated claims about Trump and others that the Justice Department found not to be credible. In other words, extensive disclosures could have at least created problems for Trump. And the administration appeared to abruptly move away from such disclosures. We'll get to the full timeline in a second. But a few key things stand out: Donald Trump and his kids, Eric and Ivanka Trump, are seen with Jeffrey Epstein in New York in 1993. Photo: Dafydd Jones via CNN Newsource And now, the full timeline. February-April: The hype and the big promises Feb 21: Attorney General Pam Bondi is asked by Fox News about an Epstein "client list," and she responds by saying that it's "sitting on my desk right now to review." (The administration has since claimed she was referring to other documents.) Feb 26: Bondi on Fox hypes a release of documents set for the following day, calling it "breaking news," and saying it will include "a lot of information." Feb 27: The White House invites right-wing social media influencers to the White House and gives them binders of Epstein-related documents. But the documents are mostly old news, and some influencers cry foul. March 1: Bondi tells Fox that Americans will "get the full Epstein files," subject to redactions to "protect grand jury information and confidential witnesses." March 3: Bondi tells Fox's Sean Hannity that DOJ has received a new "truckload of evidence" from the FBI. She adds that "everything's going to come out to the public." March 14: Bondi repeats on Fox Business Network that she has received a new "truckload of documents." She adds that "we will get out as much as we can, as fast as we can, to the American people, because they deserve to know." March 23: Bondi tells Fox News that "we are releasing all of these documents as soon as we can get them redacted to protect the victims …" April 22: President Donald Trump is asked in the Oval Office about when the Epstein files will be released and says, "100% of all of these documents are being delivered." May-June: The sudden downplaying May 7: Bondi claims there are "tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn." Her public claim comes shortly before the release of a secretly recorded video in which she made a similar claim. Sometime in May: Bondi briefs Trump about the Epstein files and tells him his name appears in them, among several other high-profile figures, CNN has confirmed. The files appeared to include several unsubstantiated claims, including about Trump, that the DOJ found to be not credible, sources said. (The precise date of this briefing isn't clear, but White House officials noted Wednesday that Trump's name was already in the binders Bondi handed out earlier this year.) May 18: For the first time, the administration begins downplaying the Epstein conspiracy theories. FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino appear together on Fox News and say Epstein indeed died by suicide. This despite both of them having promoted the conspiracy theories before joining the FBI. May 19: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the administration is "committed to releasing those files," but defers to the Justice Department on timing. May 29: Bongino on Fox again downplays the significance of what will soon be released. "There is nothing in the file at this point on the Epstein case," he says. "And there's going to be a disclosure on this coming shortly." He says the administration will release video of the jail on the day of Epstein's death that backs up that assertion. June 4: Bongino is pressed on Hannity's show about the lack of Epstein disclosures. He downplays the case as a "hot potato for folks" and then alludes to his own evolution on the subject: "I'm not paid for my opinions anymore. I work for the taxpayer now. I'm paid on evidence. That's it." June 5: Elon Musk claims while lashing out at Trump that the "real reason" the president is not releasing the Epstein files is because "@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files." He provides no evidence for his claims and later deletes the post, while expressing regret for some of the things he said about Trump. June 6: Patel appears on Joe Rogan's podcast and downplays the looming disclosures again. "We're gonna give you everything we can," Patel says, before adding that "we're not gonna re-victimize women. We're not going to put that sh*t back out there. It's not happening, because then he wins. Not doing it. You want to hate me for it, fine." Patel also appears to contradict Bondi's claim about "tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn," telling Rogan the videos from Epstein's island are "not of what you want." July: The big memo - and the tortured explanations July 6: Axios breaks the news that the DOJ has officially concluded that Epstein died by suicide and there was no "client list," despite Bondi's comments in February. July 7: The DOJ releases an unsigned memo laying out these conclusions. DOJ says it won't release any further documents because much of it is under court-ordered seal. "Through this review, we found no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials and will not permit the release of child pornography," the memo says. The memo also undercuts Bondi's claims of "tens of thousands of videos" of Epstein "with children or child porn." July 8: Trump for the first time lashes out at people still asking questions about Epstein, calling those questions a "desecration." He tells reporters: "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years." He cites recent deadly floods in Texas and adds: "I mean, I can't believe you're asking a question on Epstein at a time like this." The president will go on to make similar comments over the next two weeks, including baselessly suggesting various powerful Democrats are behind the Epstein files. July 15: Trump is asked about whether Bondi told him his name was in the files and denies it. "No, no, she's given us just a very quick briefing and - in terms of the credibility of the different things that they've seen," he says. July 23: We learn Trump is indeed in the files. - CNN