President Biden privately raged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a “f–king liar” when Israel invaded Rafah — and seethed to the PM’s face that he had “no strategy,’’ a blistering new book says.
“That son of a bitch, Bibi Netanyahu, he’s a bad guy. He’s a bad f–king guy!” Biden told an aide, according to CNN in a preview Tuesday of Bob Woodward’s upcoming book “War.”
The two leaders have had a tumultuous relationship even in public as Israel continues to fight Hamas, and that tension was only elevated behind the scenes, according to Woodward.
Biden reportedly called Netanyahu a “f–king liar” in private after Israel expanded its military operations to include Rafah in southern Gaza this past spring.
He also furiously erupted, “Bibi, what the f–k?” after an Israeli airstrike killed civilians during an attack on Hezbollah in Beirut. It wasn’t clear whether that was to the PM’s face or to an associate.
“You know the perception of Israel around the world increasingly is that you’re a rogue state, a rogue actor,” Biden told Netanyahu about the airstrike, according to Woodward.
Biden’s national security team has been working for months to establish a cease-fire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas as the war has expanded past its first year.
Woodward wrote that Biden directly confronted Netanyahu on the phone about Israel’s strategy in the war in April.
“What’s your strategy, man?” Biden asked Netanyahu.
“We have to go into Rafah,” Netanyahu responded.
“Bibi, you’ve got no strategy,” Biden shot back, CNN reported.
A few months earlier, Politico reported that Biden had already been privately calling Netanyahu a “bad f–king guy.”
At the time, a White House spokesman denied the president ever made the remark.
Woodward’s book said Biden also has had choice words for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“That f–king Putin,” Biden allegedly told his advisers sitting in the Oval Office after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“Putin is evil. We are dealing with the epitome of evil,” the prez said.
Biden, 81, had previously been reported to erractically erupt in rage at his staff behind closed doors over various issues.
Woodward’s book dives into the details and backroom conversations Biden had with his closest allies about national security — from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to Israel.
The book reveals Biden privately criticized his predecessor and former boss Barack Obama for his handling of the first Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying, “Barack never took Putin seriously.”
Woodward said Biden’s national security team thought there was a 50% chance that Russia would drop a nuclear bomb on Ukraine.
The book also revealed that the US, through a wide range of intelligence, knew Russia would invade Ukraine as early as the fall of 2021.
“This is what Putin plans to do,” CIA Director Bill Burns told the president, CNN reported in the excerpt.
“This would be so crazy,” Biden said.
“Jesus Christ!” Biden went on. “Now I’ve got to deal with Russia swallowing Ukraine?”
Woodward reported that Biden confronted Putin about the intelligence in a phone call but that the conversation got so heated, the Russian dictator made an allusion to a nuclear threat.
Vice President Kamala Harris then tried to convince Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that a war was coming, but he didn’t believe her, the book says.