Trump 'Caught Off Guard' by Israeli Strikes on Damascus: White House
WH: Trump "caught off guard" by Israeli strikes on a Gaza church & Damascus sites, including the Presidential Palace. The actions, which prompted calls to Netanyahu, complicate U.S. policy in the region.
By Kamaran Aziz
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – President Donald Trump was “caught off guard” by recent Israeli strikes targeting the Syrian Presidential Palace and a Catholic church in Gaza, the White House said Monday, in a rare public signal of discord between the U.S. administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that while Trump maintains "a good working relationship" with Netanyahu, "he was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza.”
The strike in Syria refers to a powerful Israeli airstrike on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, that rocked the heart of Damascus, targeting critical regime sites. A massive explosion rattled Umayyad Square after three consecutive air raids directly hit Syria’s General Staff Headquarters. Syrian state news agency SANA reported at least 13 people were injured and that the military building suffered extensive destruction.
Quoting security sources, Reuters confirmed the Israeli strikes resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries, including within Syria's Ministry of Defense. Israeli Channel 12 cited a security source stating that the targets of the airstrikes included both the Syrian Presidential Palace and the General Staff Headquarters. Reuters further verified that one of the strikes landed in close proximity to the presidential complex.
The Damascus attack occurred as southern Syria witnessed a surge in deadly violence, which has resulted in over 1200 civilians killed in Sweida, among them women and elderly men executed in the street.
The other incident cited by the White House was an Israeli attack last week that hit the Gaza Strip’s only Catholic church, killing three people.
Leavitt said the president acted swiftly in response to the Israeli military actions. “In both accounts, the president quickly called the prime minister to rectify those situations,” she said.
The White House noted the Israeli military operations have threatened to complicate Trump's stated foreign policy initiatives, which include pushing for an end to the war in Gaza and trying to support the new Syrian government as the country emerges from years of civil war.
Echoing the administration's concerns, Trump’s special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, told The Associated Press that Israel’s intervention in Syria “creates another very confusing chapter.”
“It came at a very bad time,” Barrack said.
