Netanyahu (right) and Biden in a previous meeting in Israel (Reuters)

An Israeli official said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to begin confronting US President Joe Biden, and that the relationship between the two parties is close to no return.

Israeli Channel 12 quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that Netanyahu was angry because of the US intelligence report (CIA), which indicated the possibility of him losing power.

The Israeli official added that Netanyahu decided, after the CIA report, to engage in a strong confrontation with Biden.

The US intelligence community's assessment was that the lack of confidence in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ability to rule was deepening among Israelis, and he expected large protests demanding his resignation, suggesting that what he called a different, more moderate government would be formed.

The US Intelligence Community is a federation of 18 US federal government agencies that work separately to carry out intelligence activities in support of the foreign policy and national security of the United States. It was established by US President Ronald Reagan on December 4, 1981.

In this context, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said - quoting an official who commented on the CIA director’s recent report - that Israel “is not an American protectorate.”

The official added that Tel Aviv expects Washington to overthrow the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and not the Israeli government, as he put it.

He continued, "It is the Israelis, not anyone else, who choose their prime minister."

Loss of confidence

The Israeli Kan channel quoted American officials as saying that US President Joe Biden had almost lost confidence in the Israeli Prime Minister and confirmed that there was no specific date yet to meet Netanyahu.

The channel added that officials confirmed that Netanyahu's procrastination regarding the issue of relief for the people of Gaza has harmed Israel.

For its part, American media quoted Biden as saying that there is no specific date yet for the meeting with Netanyahu, and that Biden currently has no plans to deliver a speech before the Israeli parliament (the Knesset).

The American Politico website also quoted officials as saying that Biden may decide to limit the transfer of weapons to Israel if it launches an operation that exposes more Palestinians to danger.

Netanyahu has escalated his statements regarding moving forward with his plans to invade Rafah (south of the Gaza Strip), where more than two million displaced Palestinians are trapped between starvation and bombing.

This comes in defiance of the US President, who previously warned that such an attack would be a “red line,” in addition to several international warnings against invading the city.

On the other hand, Netanyahu responded by saying that the “red line” for him is “not to repeat the attack of last October 7,” that is, the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation launched by the Palestinian resistance.

Earlier Monday, the White House said that the president had made clear that there would be no military operation “unless there is a plan for the security of civilians” there.

This comes in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression against Gaza, which has left tens of thousands of martyrs, wounded, and missing people - most of them children and women - and massive destruction to residential buildings and vital facilities, amid famine looming over the besieged Strip, with the scarcity of aid entering.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies