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'Bibi acted like a madman': Trump team grows wary of 'child' Netanyahu's aggression in Syria, says report
President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive for a news conference in the East Room of the White House, on Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. AP File
The Trump administration is increasingly frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, known as 'Bibi', over his aggressive stance in the conflict with Syria, Axios has reported.
A White House official, speaking to Axios, said, 'Bibi acted like a madman. He bombs everything all the time. This could undermine what Trump is trying to do,' referring to a recent Israeli strike on the Syrian presidential palace.
The remarks come amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes in Damascus and southern Syria, where government forces have also been targeted. In a separate incident, Israeli forces reportedly struck the Holy Family Catholic Church compound, the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip.
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According to another US official, President Donald Trump personally phoned Netanyahu following the Gaza church strike and demanded an explanation. 'The feeling is that every day there is something new. What the f***?' the official told Axios.
These comments follow Netanyahu's third visit to the United States in recent weeks, during which he held multiple meetings with Trump, including a dinner at the White House. However, despite the high-level engagement, there was no breakthrough in efforts to end the Gaza war.
A third White House official told Axios that scepticism towards Netanyahu is growing within the Trump team, describing the Israeli leader as 'too impulsive and too disruptive.'
'Netanyahu is sometimes like a child who just won't behave,' the official added.
Israeli government spokesperson Ziv Agmon did not respond to the remarks attributed to Trump and his aides.
In the wake of the Israeli strike in Syria, the United States intervened to ease tensions. The U.S. Ambassador to Turkey announced a ceasefire agreement between the parties involved.
While the ceasefire temporarily paused further escalation, senior Trump administration officials remain alarmed by Netanyahu's broader regional policies, Axios reported, citing six U.S. sources.
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'We must understand the responsibility as the leading party and the one we have to fulfil for the nation,' Ishiba said. He also signalled his intention to keep his position after the election, saying, 'I am keenly aware of [my] responsibilities.' Japan's political future is now uncertain. The ruling coalition's dual minority status will complicate legislative efforts and make it harder to implement any coherent agenda. Ishiba's government will likely face increasing internal dissent, coalition instability, and challenges from both the left and right. Whether this leads to early elections, leadership change, or further fragmentation of Japan's political landscape remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the 'Trump effect'—embodied in both American policy and its global ideological footprint—has found fertile ground in Japan's political soil. As Japan moves forward, the electorate's shift toward populism, nationalism, and economic protectionism may redefine the country's political trajectory—and its place in the world. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The author is a former ambassador to Germany, Indonesia, Ethiopia, ASEAN and the African Union. He tweets @AmbGurjitSingh. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
