US officials label Netanyahu a 'madman' over Syria strikes
White House officials are understood to be frustrated by the Israeli Prime Minister's actions in Syria last week.
Listen to this article
White House officials have privately accused Benjamin Netanyahu of acting "like a madman" who "bombs everything all the time" after Israel carried out airstrikes in Syria last week.
On Tuesday, Israel bombed a convoy of Syrian army tanks in the southern province of Sweida, claiming that the Syrian military was participating in attacks on the Druze minority, and was warned by US diplomats to cease its military intervention in Syria and allow for a diplomatic resolution.
On Wednesday, Israel carried out further escalation by launching a series of airstrikes on the capital of Damascus that hit a compound that houses the Ministry of Defence and areas near the presidential palace.
Israel said its operations aimed to protect the Druze minority, seen as allies to Israel, which has a Druze population of about 130,000.
One US official told American news website Axios that the strikes caught the US "by surprise", claiming that President Trump "doesn't like turning on the television and seeing bombs dropped in a country he is seeking peace in."
Read More: Benjamin Netanyahu hit with food poisoning and ordered to rest for three days
Another official said: "Bibi acted like a madman. He bombs everything all the time", adding that the Israeli Prime Minister's actions in Syria "could undermine what Trump is trying to do."
Another described Benjamin Netanyahu as "sometimes like a child who just won't behave."
US officials are understood to have told Axios they are increasingly alarmed over the Israeli prime minister and his regional policies following the events of last week.
President Trump's opinions on the situation remain unclear, but the US president lifted sanctions on Syria earlier this year and has made his desire for peace in the Middle East clear.
US officials were also reportedly concerned over an Israeli strike that hit Gaza's only Catholic Church on Thursday. "The feeling is that every day there is something new. What the f***?" an official told Axios. President Donald Trump phoned Netanyahu after the church bombing to demand an explanation.
Netanyahu's spokesperson Ziv Agmon did not respond to a request by Axios for comment.
A senior Israeli official told Axios that Israelis were surprised by the US response to the strikes, and that President Trump had encouraged Netanyahu to hold parts of Syria during his first weeks in office.
The official said: "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. We tried to explain to them that this is our commitment to the Druze community in Israel."
A US-brokered ceasefire appears to be holding in Sweida in Syria on Sunday.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Syria since the fighting between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes broke out on July 13, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
It comes after rebel groups led by Islamist insurgents ousted former Syrian dictator leader Bashar Assad in December after nearly 14 years of civil war.
The nation's rulers have since struggled to consolidate control over the conflict-ravaged country - which continues to come under fire from its neighbours.