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‘Bibi, What the F—k?’ New Book Reveals Details of Biden and Netanyahu’s Strained Relationship
US President Joe Biden, left, pauses during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 18, 2023. Photo: Miriam Alster/Pool via REUTERS
Veteran journalist Bob Woodward reveals new details about the strained relationship between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s over the past year in a new book.
Woodward, a prominent investigative journalist, is coming out with a new book titled War on Oct. 15. In it, he reveals just how deep the fracture has become in the relationship between the current leaders of the US and Israel, according to CNN, which obtained an advanced copy of the work.
A striking moment came after Israel killed Fuad Shakr, a top Hezbollah terrorist who was also instrumental in killing hundreds of Americans in the Beirut bombing in 1983, in Lebanon in July. There was a bounty for millions of dollars put on him by the US.
“Bibi, what the f—k?” Biden yelled at Netanyahu after the strike, according to CNN’s reporting of Woodward’s book. “You know the perception of Israel around the world increasingly is that you’re a rogue state, a rogue actor.”
Netanyahu responded that the target of the strike was “one of the leading terrorists.”
“We saw an opportunity and took it,” Netanyahu said. “The harder you hit, the more successful you’re going to be in the negotiation.”
But the problems started well before July. After Biden pushed hard for Israel not to enter the southern Gaza city of Rafah to fight Hamas terrorists — and Israel conducted major ground operations there anyway — Biden reportedly exclaimed, “He’s a f—king liar,” speaking about Netanyahu.
When discussing the decision about whether to go into Rafah, Biden said to Netanyahu, “What’s your strategy, man?”
Netanyahu reportedly evaded giving specifics, opting instead to say, “We have to go into Rafah” — which prompted Biden to retort, “Bibi, you’ve got no strategy.”
Biden reportedly saw his job as reigning in Israeli responses to attacks from foreign terrorists and countries such as Iran. After Iran launched a large barrage of ballistic and cruise missiles — along with drones — at Israel in April, CNN reported that Biden told Israel: “You don’t need to make another move. Do nothing,” in response to the major attack.
Reflecting on his strategy, he told his advisers, according to Woodward, “I know he’s going to do something, but the way I limit it is tell him to ‘Do nothing.’”
A similar situation is arising again now, in the aftermath of Iran’s major ballistic missile attack on Israel last week, which featured 181 missiles and came in response to Israel assassinating major Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist leaders in Lebanon and Iran.
The United States is worried that Israel’s response could trigger a wider war — particularly if Israel targets Iran’s nuclear facilities. Consequently, Netanyahu and Biden spoke on the phone on Wednesday.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre called the call “direct and productive,” but did not give additional details.
This was the first time the two leaders spoke since August, underscoring the worsening relationship between them.
Netanyahu also spoke with former US President Donald Trump. Netanyahu’s team said Trump “congratulated him on the intense and determined operations that Israel carried out against Hezbollah.”
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Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy
Thomas Barrack at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., November 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
i24 News – Lebanon’s daunting social, economic and political issues would not get resolved unless the state persists in the efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy behind so much of the unrest and destruction, special US envoy Tom Barrack told The National.
“You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn’t move, it’s going to be Bilad Al Sham again,” he said, using the historical Arabic name for the region sometimes known as “larger Syria.”
The official stressed the need to follow through on promises to disarm the Iranian proxy, which suffered severe blows from Israel in the past year, including the elimination of its entire leadership, and is considered a weakened though still dangerous jihadist outfit.
“There are issues that we have to arm wrestle with each other over to come to a final conclusion. Remember, we have an agreement, it was a great agreement. The problem is, nobody followed it,” he told The National.
Barrack spoke on the heels of a trip to Beirut, where he proposed a diplomatic plan for the region involving the full disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese state.
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Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a cultural forum dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 11, 2024. Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Scherbak/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian leadership that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, the Axios website reported on Saturday. The Russian strongman also relayed the message to his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, the report said.
Iranian news agency Tasnim issued a denial, citing an “informed source” as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard.
Also on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that “Any negotiated solution must respect Iran’s right to enrichment. No agreement without recognizing our right to enrichment. If negotiations occur, the only topic will be the nuclear program. No other issues, especially defense or military matters, will be on the agenda.”
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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool
i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is attending at least one meeting with Israeli officials in Azerbaijan today, despite sources in Damascus claiming he wasn’t attending, a Syrian source close to President Al-Sharaa tells i24NEWS.
The Syrian source stated that this is a series of two or three meetings between the sides, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also in attendance, along with Ahmed Al-Dalati, the Syrian government’s liaison for security meetings with Israel.
The high-level Israeli delegation includes a special envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as security and military figures.
The purpose of the meetings is to discuss further details of the security agreement to be signed between Israel and Syria, the Iranian threat in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollah’s weapons, the weapons of Palestinian militias, the Palestinians camps in Lebanon, and the future of Palestinian refugees from Gaza in the region.
The possibility of opening an Israeli coordination office in Damascus, without diplomatic status, might also be discussed.
The source stated that the decision to hold the meetings in Azerbaijan, made by Israel and the US, is intended to send a message to Iran.
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