Trump aides slam Netanyahu as ‘Madman’ over Syria strikes, Gaza church bombing
Washington D.C.: The White House has sharply criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for recent military actions in Syria and Gaza, with multiple US officials expressing outrage over what they called reckless and destabilising moves by Israel.
According to a report by Axios, senior aides to President Donald Trump were particularly incensed by Israel’s bombing of a Syrian army tank convoy near Suwayda, and a separate strike on the only Catholic church in Gaza. These acts reportedly occurred despite a US-brokered ceasefire in the region.
One unnamed White House official, quoted in the Axios report, said, “Bibi acted like a madman, he is bombing everything all the time.” Another senior official compared Netanyahu’s behavior to that of an unruly child: “Netanyahu is sometimes like a child who just won’t behave.”
The tank convoy targeted by Israeli airstrikes was reportedly en route to Suwayda in southern Syria in response to clashes between Druze militia and Bedouin tribal fighters, which have already claimed more than 700 lives. Israel justified the strike, claiming the Syrian convoy had entered a demilitarized zone it considers off-limits.
Meanwhile, the attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza has drawn even sharper criticism. During a Friday press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Trump called Prime Minister Netanyahu to express deep disapproval of the incident.
“It was not a positive reaction,” Leavitt said. “The President called Prime Minister Netanyahu this morning to address the strike on the church in Gaza. The Prime Minister acknowledged that the bombing was a mistake and agreed to issue a public statement.”
Following the call, Netanyahu’s office released a statement expressing “deep regret” over the attack. “Israel deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza’s Holy Family Church. Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful,” the statement read. It also acknowledged gratitude toward Pope Leo for his message of comfort and pledged to investigate the incident thoroughly.
Despite Israel's expression of regret, White House officials remain alarmed. Six officials told Axios that Netanyahu's increasingly unpredictable behavior risks undermining President Trump’s peace efforts in the region.
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US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
