Did Netanyahu’s Bombing of Syria Cross a Trump Red Line?

Nobody has been a better friend to Bibi Netanyahu than Donald Trump. 

So, if Axios’s reporting that the Trump administration, and perhaps Donald Trump himself, are angry at the Israeli Prime Minister and describe him as a “madman,” it’s really bad news for Bibi. 

🚨🇺🇸🇮🇱”Bibi acted like a madman”: Trump’s team frets about Netanyahu after Syria strikes. @MarcACaputo and me write for @axios https://t.co/9N5ujwvFis

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) July 20, 2025

One must always take any leaks from within the government with a large grain of salt, and I am certainly doing so here. But, on the other hand, Netanyahu has been bombing inside Syria with abandon–and going much deeper into the country than the areas in which the Druze were being massacred. 

• As smoke and debris swirled over the Syrian presidential palace, the chatter in the West Wing grew louder: Benjamin Netanyahu is out of control.

  What they’re saying: “Bibi acted like a madman. He bombs everything all the time,” one White House official told Axios, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. “This could undermine what Trump is trying to do.”

  • A second senior U.S. official also pointed to the shelling of a church in Gaza this week, which led President Trump to call Netanyahu and demand an explanation. “The feeling is that every day there is something new. What the f***?”
  • A third U.S. official said there’s growing skepticism inside the Trump administration about Netanyahu — a sense that his trigger finger is too itchy and he’s too disruptive. “Netanyahu is sometimes like a child who just won’t behave.”

Trump has focused on Middle East peace for a decade. In a sane world, he would have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the Abraham Accords, and he is working to extend them to other Arab countries this time around. 

The war in Gaza has been an obstacle to that, although more because of optics than genuine fury on the part of Arabs. The Palestinians have been such a thorn in the side of Arab governments for so long that they just want Israel to get it over with. 

But Trump and others were hoping that they could bribe and cajole the new Syrian government into a de facto peace with Israel, and Bibi is becoming a serious obstacle to that, and unsurprisingly, Trump is unhappy about that. 

Why it matters: Six U.S. officials tell Axios that despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted this week’s escalation in Syria on Friday, this week ended with the White House significantly more alarmed about Netanyahu and his regional policies.

• However, Trump has so far refrained from public criticism and it’s unclear if he shares his advisers’ frustrations. It is not totally clear whether he shares his advisers’ recent concerns about Israel’s actions in Syria.

Driving the news: On Tuesday, Israel bombed a convoy of Syrian army tanks en route to the city of Suwayda to respond to violent clashes between a Druze militia and armed Bedouin tribesmen, which had killed over 700 people as of Saturday according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Israel’s concern for and interest in the safety of the Druze is legitimate, so it is not surprising that they have moved to defend them. But the bombings in Syria are going all the way to Damascus, and the targets go beyond the people perpetrating the massacres. Turning the Syrian Presidential Palace into a smoking ruin is hardly a path to peaceful relations. 

Friction point: “The bombing in Syria caught the president and the White House by surprise. 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,” a U.S. official said.

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Netanyahu and his team to stop on Wednesday.
• Netanyahu agreed to do so in return for the Syrian military withdrawing from Suwayda.
• But by then countries including Turkey and Saudi Arabia had conveyed angry messages to the Trump administration about Israel’s actions, and several senior U.S. officials had complained directly to Trump about Netanyahu.

Behind the scenes: Among those officials were Barrack and White House envoy Steve Witkoff — both close friends Trump’s, according to a U.S. official.

• The general belief in the White House was that Netanyahu bombed Syria because of domestic pressure from Israel’s Druze minority and other political considerations.
• “Bibi’s political agenda is driving his senses. It will turn out to be a big mistake for him long-term,” a U.S. official said.
• Another U.S. official said the damage the Israelis had done to their standing at the White House over the past week didn’t seem to be breaking through to them. “The Israelis need to get their head out of their asses,” the official quipped.

The success the Israelis have had with their confrontations with Iran may have created a sense of invulnerability, but those successes have been dependent on US support and logistical aid. 

Under the Biden administration, Bibi probably felt that he was forced to go it alone at times–and Biden’s weakness allowed him to get away with it to some degree. 

Not so with Trump. If I were Netanyahu, I would tread a lot more lightly.