Media: Trump team disturbed by Netanyahu’s Syria offensive “He is a mad man”

Senior U.S. officials are reportedly growing increasingly alarmed over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military approach, fearing it could derail Washington’s broader objectives in the region.

“He bombs everything all the time,” one White House official told Axios, Caliber.Az reports.

“Bibi acted like a madman. This could undermine what Trump is trying to do.” Another senior official echoed the frustration, referencing a church shelling in Gaza that led President Trump to demand an explanation from Netanyahu directly.

“The feeling is that every day there is something new.”

According to a third U.S. official, scepticism within the Trump administration towards Netanyahu is mounting, with concerns that his aggressive tactics are increasingly destabilising. “Netanyahu is sometimes like a child who just won’t behave.”

Despite these concerns, Netanyahu’s spokesperson Ziv Agmon did not respond to requests for comment.

The growing anxiety follows a U.S.-brokered ceasefire which managed to halt the week’s escalation in Syria. Yet, by week’s end, six American officials confirmed that the White House had become more wary of Netanyahu’s regional conduct. While President Trump has not publicly criticised his Israeli counterpart, insiders are unsure whether he shares the discontent voiced by his advisers.

The latest tensions were sparked on July 15 when Israeli forces struck a Syrian army tank convoy headed for Suwayda. The strike followed deadly clashes between a Druze militia and armed Bedouin tribesmen, which had reportedly left over 700 dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Israel justified the strike by stating that the convoy had entered a demilitarised zone in southern Syria and accused the Syrian military of targeting the Druze minority.

Damascus denied the claim. That same day, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack urged Israeli officials to de-escalate, to which they reportedly agreed. Nonetheless, Israel resumed strikes the next day, this time targeting Syria’s military headquarters and areas near the presidential palace.

“The bombing in Syria caught the president and the White House by surprise,” said a U.S. official. “The president doesn’t 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.”

On July 16, Secretary of State Marco Rubio directly told Netanyahu to halt the strikes. The Israeli leader reportedly agreed on the condition that the Syrian military withdraw from Suwayda. But the damage had been done—Türkiye and Saudi Arabia had already voiced their anger to the Trump administration, and several senior officials had personally complained to the president about Netanyahu’s behaviour.

Among them were Barrack and White House envoy Steve Witkoff—both considered close Trump confidants. One U.S. official suggested that Netanyahu’s actions were driven by internal political pressure, particularly from Israel’s Druze minority. “Bibi’s political agenda is driving his senses. It will turn out to be a big mistake for him long-term.”

Another official added, “The Israelis need to get their head out of their asses,” underscoring how strained ties had become in the span of a few days.

These tensions emerged shortly after Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, where he met with Trump twice and appeared to have reaffirmed close ties following recent military actions against Iran. But the renewed Israeli strikes in Syria, the Gaza church shelling, and the killing of Palestinian-American Saif Musallet by Israeli settlers further aggravated the situation.

Ambassador Mike Huckabee, a long-time ally of Netanyahu, condemned the settler attack as “terrorism” and demanded accountability. Over the weekend, Huckabee also visited a Christian community in the West Bank targeted by similar violence, and criticised Israel for making it more difficult for American evangelicals to obtain visas.

Israeli officials, for their part, expressed surprise at the strength of the U.S. backlash. A senior Israeli official noted that Trump had previously encouraged holding Syrian territory early in his presidency.

“The U.S. wants to keep the new Syrian government stable and doesn’t understand why we attack in Syria, because of attacks on the Druze community there,” the official said. “We tried to explain to them that this is our commitment to the Druze community in Israel.”

Washington, however, appears unconvinced. “The current Israeli policy would lead to an unstable Syria,” a senior U.S. official said. “Both the Druze community and Israel will lose in such a scenario.”

Though Netanyahu’s high-stakes approach has occasionally aligned with Trump’s instincts—most notably in Iran—the rift over Syria suggests a growing disconnect between the Israeli Prime Minister and his most important international ally.

More than a few within Trump’s circle are now questioning the outsized influence of far-right elements in Netanyahu’s coalition, a dynamic increasingly noted by the broader MAGA movement.

By Aghakazim Guliyev