United States fuming at ‘madman’ Benjamin Netanyahu after Syria strikes

The White House is alarmed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decisions in Syria. Netanyahu acted like a madman, bombing everything all the time. This could undermine what United States President Donald Trump is trying to do. Israel began carrying out strikes on Syrian troops rolling into Sweida after local government forces were accused of killing scores of people in the Druze city of Sweida, and striking key buildings in Damascus.

Every day there is something new. An Israeli tank shell hit a church in Gaza, killing three people. While Trump did not publicly address the strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church, he held an angry phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded that he release a statement expressing regret over the incident, which the premier did a short while later.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also told reporters that Trump’s reaction to the incident “was not a positive reaction”. There is growing skepticism in the United States administration about Benjamin Netanyahu and his policies. It would not be the first time Trump has been irked by Israel’s behavior. In an unprecedented, public, foul-mouthed tirade, Trump voiced his frustration against Israel when it planned a massive airstrike in response to the launch of a single missile by Iran after a ceasefire ending the 12-day war took effect.

United States special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack asked Israel to halt its attacks on Syria to make room for diplomacy, and Israel agreed.

However, Israel carried out extensive attacks in Syria, including on its military headquarters and close to the presidential palace. Israel was acting in support of the Druze, who form a substantial community in Israel and are seen as a loyal minority, with many serving in the Israeli military. Saudi Arabia and Turkey complained to the White House, as did Barrack Obama and United States special envoy Steve Witkoff.

The bombing in Syria caught Trump and the White House by surprise. Trump does not like turning on the television and seeing bombs dropped in a country he is seeking peace in and made a monumental announcement to help rebuild. Benjamin Netanyahu’s political agenda is driving his senses. It will turn out to be a big mistake for Netanyahu long-term. The United States wants to keep the new Syrian government stable and does not understand why Israel attacked in Syria because of attacks on the Druze community there.

This is Israel’s commitment to the Druze community in the country. As Druze fighters clashed with Sunni Bedouin tribes, who were later joined by government forces, reports emerged from Sweida of regime forces killing women and boys, looting homes, and shaving Druze clerics’ mustaches. Druze fighters also beat captured government forces and posing by their bodies.

Over 1,000 people have been killed since the violence erupted, including 336 Druze fighters and 298 civilians from the minority group, as well as 342 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin.

A ceasefire appeared to be holding after earlier agreements failed to end the fighting between longtime rivals the Druze and the Bedouin. Government forces were deployed in some locations in the province to enforce the truce and at least one humanitarian convoy headed for the Druze-majority city. The tensions over Syria came just days after Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to D.C., in which he met Trump twice and the two leaders seemed closer than ever in the afterglow of the war with Iran.

In addition to Syria and the attack on the church in Gaza, the murder of Palestinian American Saif Musallet by a mob of Israeli settlers also sparked pushback from the Trump administration toward Benjamin Netanyahu’s stridently pro-settler government. Ambassador Mike Huckabee, who days earlier had visited Netanyahu’s corruption trial in a show of support, released a series of statements calling the attack “terrorism” and demanding answers.

Huckabee also visited a Christian community in the West Bank that had been targeted by settler attacks. Huckabee, long an effusive supporter of Israel, also criticized the Israeli government for making it harder for American evangelicals to obtain travel visas. Israel was surprised by the United States’ pushback over the Syria strikes.

A senior Israeli official said Trump had encouraged Benjamin Netanyahu to hold parts of Syria during his first weeks in office and had not previously expressed concerns about Israel’s interventions in the country.

The official stressed that Israel only intervened after its intelligence indicated the Syrian government was involved in attacks against the Druze. The official denied any domestic political considerations. This was hardly the first time Benjamin Netanyahu tested Trump’s patience. Netanyahu’s gamble that Trump would ultimately back his strikes on Iran paid off in dramatic fashion.

Benjamin Netanyahu has pressed on in Gaza for months despite Trump’s desire for an end to the war. In Syria, Netanyahu bet once again that he could escalate dramatically without destabilizing the region or his relationship with Trump. And Trump aides have become more and more aware in recent months of the influence far-right Jewish supremacist elements in Netanyahu’s coalition have on policy.

This dynamic has also become more evident to the broader MAGA movement. The bottom line is that Netanyahu’s luck, and Trump’s goodwill, could run out.