The White House has openly admitted that US leader Donald Trump was "taken by surprise" by Israel's bombing of Syria. The US president had no warning that something like this would happen.
Points of attention
- US Special Representative Tom Barak urged Israel to pursue diplomatic solutions amidst the escalating tensions in the area.
- The bombings have raised questions about the complexities of the political dynamics in the Middle East and the challenges of achieving peace and stability.
Israel publicly framed Trump
According to White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt, the American leader "has a good working relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and maintains constant communication with him."
Despite this, she admitted that the strikes on Syria "caught him by surprise."
He was surprised by the bombing of Syria, as well as the bombing of the Catholic church in Gaza, — emphasized Caroline Levitt.
As previously mentioned, on July 15, Israel struck a Syrian tank column heading toward the city of Suwayda in response to bloody clashes between Druze militias and armed Bedouin tribes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that as of July 19, more than 700 people have died in these clashes.
Israel said the convoy crossed a demilitarized zone in southern Syria, which Israel insists exists, and that the Syrian army was involved in attacks on the Druze minority, which Syria denies.
Against this backdrop, US Special Representative Tom Barak publicly called on his Israeli colleagues to refrain from further action in order to give a diplomatic settlement a chance.
A senior American official claims that official Tel Aviv has agreed.
