Trump Caught Off Guard as Israel Launches Strike on Syria

According to a White House spokesperson, Donald Trump was surprised by Israeli strikes on Syria last week and called Benjamin Netanyahu to resolve the issue. The Israeli military targeted Damascus and Sweida city, aiming to pressure Syria to remove its troops amid ongoing conflicts. Trump was also surprised by the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza and contacted Netanyahu to address it. The strike on the Catholic church resulted in three deaths and ten injuries, including the parish priest. Netanyahu blamed a “stray missile” for the incident and called Pope Leo to express regret. Israel and Syria have started a US-brokered ceasefire, and Syrian authorities evacuated Bedouin families from Sweida. The clashes in southern Syria killed over 1,260 people and challenged the rule of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. In May, Trump met with Sharaa in Saudi Arabia and lifted US sanctions on Damascus. Trump later praised Sharaa, who led a group aligned with al-Qaida and overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s government. The US removed a bounty on Sharaa after he came to power.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/22/israel-syria-strikes-trump