According to Bloomberg and Axios, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed on April 21 that the Israeli bombing of Syria the previous week had caught President Trump off guard. Trump expressed displeasure and demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu change course.
Israeli forces struck the Syrian regime’s military headquarters in Damascus. Image source: accompanying media report.
Furthermore, Axios reported on the 20th that Israel’s decision last week to bomb Syrian government buildings shocked senior U.S. officials and heightened their concerns about Israeli policy in the Middle East. Some U.S. officials stated that Netanyahu “acted like a madman,” and there is a growing sense within the U.S. government that Netanyahu’s eagerness to pull the trigger could disrupt Trump’s agenda. In response, Levitte confirmed on the 21st that Trump “at least partially agrees” with this assessment.
Armed conflict erupted in Suwayda Governorate, a Druze-populated area in southern Syria, since the 13th of this month, resulting in numerous casualties. Israel intervened in the southern Syrian armed conflict starting on the 14th and launched a heavy airstrike on areas near the Syrian Presidential Palace and other locations on the 16th. On the 16th, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning in the strongest terms Israel’s aggression against government institutions and civilian facilities in Damascus and Suwayda Governorate in southern Syria.
On social media on the 16th, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio posted that the United States had engaged with all parties involved in the current Syrian conflict and had “reached agreement on a series of concrete steps,” expecting all parties to fulfill their commitments to end the conflict. The Syrian regime announced a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire on the 19th. Earlier that day, U.S. officials claimed that Israel and Syria had reached a ceasefire agreement regarding the conflict.