WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 President Donald Trump was 鈥渃aught off guard鈥 by the recent Israeli strikes in Syria and on a Catholic church in Gaza, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday.
Her comments were a rare suggestion of daylight between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have often been aligned on politics and foreign policy, particularly with the .
However, Trump is 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, and Israeli military operations have threatened to complicate those initiatives.
An Israeli attack last week hit the Gaza Strip's , killing three people and stirring outrage. In addition, during the latest outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria, even bombing the capital, Damascus.
Leavitt told reporters that Trump has 鈥渁 good working relationship鈥 with Netanyahu but 鈥渉e was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza.鈥
鈥淚n both accounts, the president quickly called the prime minister to rectify those situations,鈥 Leavitt said.
Trump's special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, that Israel's intervention in Syria 鈥渃reates another very confusing chapter鈥 and 鈥渃ame at a very bad time.鈥
