Conversations from the past year between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden were revealed today (Tuesday) in a new book by journalist Bob Woodward, 'War,' an advanced copy of which was obtained by CNN.
According to Woodward, after the elimination of Hezbollah's second-highest ranking figure Fuad Shukr, Biden was furious with Netanyahu and told him: "Bibi, what the f-?" Biden added, “You know the perception of Israel around the world increasingly is that you’re a rogue state, a rogue actor.”
In response, Netanyahu said that "the target was one of the leading terrorists. We saw an opportunity and took advantage of it. The harder you hit, the more successful you will be in the negotiations."
Shukr was eliminated in an airstrike in Beirut in late July. He directed Hezbollah's constant attacks on northern Israel beginning on October 8, 2023, and was responsible for the rocket attack in which 12 Druze children were massacred in Majdal Shams several days before his elimination. He also played a role in the 1983 bombing of the US Army barracks in Beirut in which 241 American servicemen were killed. The US had placed a $5 million bounty on his head, despite Biden's reported objections to his elimination.
In addition, a conversation of Biden with his advisers was revealed in which he said: "I know he’s going to do something but the way I limit it is tell him to ‘Do nothing.'"
Another conversation that was revealed is from last April, around the discussion of the IDF's entry into Rafah, Biden asked Netanyahu: "What is your strategy, man?" Netanyahu replied: "We need to enter Rafah." Biden replied: "Bibi, you’ve got no strategy."
Biden also stated in another conversation, “That son of a bitch, Bibi Netanyahu, he’s a bad guy," before calling him a "f-ing bad guy."
In other conversations disclosed by Woodward, Biden claimed that in his opinion there is a 50 percent chance that Russian President Vladimir Putin will start a nuclear war.
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