White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that President Donald Trump was “caught off guard” by recent Israeli actions in Syria and Gaza, noting that he had called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to air his concerns. 

Leavitt made the comments after being asked if the president had “expressed his frustration” with Netanyahu directly over the fatal attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church, the only Catholic church in Gaza, and the IDF’s move to strike government buildings in Damascus, Syria’s capital, last week during sectarian clashes that drew in Syrian government forces and left more than 1,000 people dead. The strikes on Syria came as the Trump administration has thrown its full support behind the new government and urged Israel to normalize relations with the war-torn country. 

“The president enjoys a good working relationship with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and stays in frequent communication with him. He was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of the Catholic Church in Gaza,” Leavitt told reporters outside the White House. 

The White House press secretary went on to note that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio stepped in to prevent an escalation in Damascus and to demand answers on the church strike. 

“In both accounts, the president quickly called the prime minister to rectify those situations, and we saw Secretary Rubio intervene when it came to Syria. We saw a deescalation there. And as for the bombing of the Catholic church in Gaza, the prime minister did put out a statement saying this was an accident and they deeply regretted that action on behalf of the State of Israel following his conversation with the president,” Leavitt explained.

The strike on the church killed three and injured 10, including a priest.

Leavitt later added when asked about the church bombing, “The president’s message on this conflict we’ve seen in the Middle East taking place for far too long, that has become quite brutal, especially in recent days, you’ve seen reports of more people dying. I think the president never likes to see that. He wants the killing to end.”

Earlier Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who is also serving as special envoy to Syria, criticized Israel’s actions in the country, telling the Associated Press that Jerusalem’s intervention in Syria “creates another very confusing chapter” in the region and “came at a very bad time.”

“The United States was not asked, nor did they participate in that decision, nor was it the United States’ responsibility in matters that Israel feels is for its own self-defense,” Barrack told the outlet of Israel’s strikes on Syria.

Barrack conceded that “both sides did the best they can” in negotiations leading up to the ceasefire he announced between Israel and Syria over the weekend, praising the two countries for trying to find common ground on issues such as the transfer of Syrian forces and military equipment from Damascus to Sweida, where members of the Druze religious minority have been under frequent attacks from Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes.