Government aims to move some 1,500 Bedouins out of city after a week of deadly clashes with Druze; officials say Damascus will also allow displaced residents to return

President Donald Trump was surprised by Israeli strikes in Syria and a Gaza Catholic church bombing. The intervention complicates Trump's initiatives to end the Gaza war and support Syria's new government.

Israel said the strikes were intended to protect the Druze, a small but politically sensitive minority in Syria with ties to Israel and Lebanon. But the surprise move has raised questions inside the White House as Trump tries to broker an end to the Gaza war.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel's military actions in Syria, accusing the country of being a "terrorist state" as well as a destabilizing force in the region.

So it's a messy situation. Israel has to decide, with help from the United States, what it wants to do next with this government,' says James Jeffrey - Anadolu Ajansı

Republican congressman and Israel caucus co-chair Joe Wilson rebukes Israeli military strikes on Syria, calling them insulting to Trump's recent diplomatic efforts in the region.

"If Israel feels that a certain leader...is an evident threat to its national security, it will operate," a former Israeli envoy told Newsweek.

For weeks, Israel has engaged in back-channel talks over a diplomatic agreement with the Syrian government. Its strikes on Damascus this week highlight a lack of strategic clarity.