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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Karnataka govt seeks agency to manage rural drinking water units: Minister
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday said the state government is working to appoint an agency to manage clean drinking water units in rural areas.
The state Rural Development and Panchayat Raj minister was responding to a question by Hirekerur MLA U B Banakar in the legislative assembly.
"In the rural areas of the state, many clean drinking water units have been set up under corporate social responsibility (CSR) grants, including contributions by MLAs and MPs, and handed over to gram panchayats. After the maintenance period, problems have arisen in keeping these units operational," Priyank said.
He added that a proposal has been made to award a maintenance contract to one of the country’s reputed drinking water unit manufacturing companies, but so far, no companies have come forward to take up the work.
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"The government is continuing its efforts and will resolve this problem soon," he said.
On a query regarding fluoride content in water, the minister said water quality testing is being conducted monthly in all zilla panchayats.
"Laboratories have been opened for this purpose. Around 6.5 lakh water samples have been tested across the state, and water testing kits have been provided to villages," he added.
