Joe Biden called Israeli PM Netanyahu 'a bad guy': report

President Joe Biden reportedly called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a bad f*** guy in private amidst supposed tensions between the two leaders as the war with Hamas drags on for the fourth month.

Politico outlet reported citing people close to Biden that the US president has grown suspicious of Netanyahu, and that the Biden administration is finding it hard to support Israel, especially with the upcoming presidential elections.

Biden's spokesperson Andrew Bates, however, dismissed the report saying that both leaders share a "decades-long relationship that is respectful in public and in private".

He clarified that the US leader "did not use that word, and nor would he ever in the future".

However, there seems to a palpable tension between the Biden administration and the Israeli leadership, especially after Israel's national security Itamar Ben Gvir slammed the US leader over handling the Gaza conflict.

In an interview to the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, he claimed that Israel would have been better off dealing with Hamas under the Trump government.

"Instead of giving us his full backing, [President Joe] Biden is busy with giving humanitarian aid and fuel, which goes to Hamas." “If Trump was in power, the US conduct would be completely different,” he was quoted as saying.

(With inputs from agencies)