Israel claims Biden is trying to 'overthrow Bibi': Top official in Netanyahu's government says US intelligence report saying his leadership is 'in jeopardy' is part of bid to oust him

An Israeli official has accused the Biden administration of trying to undermine Prime Minister Netanyahu after a US report cited a 'distrust' in his ability to rule. 

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence Report said that Netanyahu's 'viability as leader as well may be in jeopardy'.

The report, released on Monday, also said that the US expects large protests demanding Netanyahu's resignation and elections in the coming months. 

In a response seen by Axios, a senior official released a statement saying: 'Those who elect the Prime Minister of Israel are the citizens of Israel and no one else. 

'Israel is not a vassal state of the U.S. but an independent and democratic country whose citizens are the ones who elect the government.'

President Joe Biden has been showing his frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - above the two men meet in Tel Aviv in October

President Biden has in recent weeks sharpened his rhetoric on the Israeli response to the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas.

His administration has grown increasingly unhappy with the mounting civilian death toll, now at more than 30,000, in Gaza from bombings and ground operations.

The statement from the Israeli official added: 'We expect our friends to act to overthrow the terror regime of Hamas and not the elected government in Israel.'

Biden has repeatedly criticized Israel's heavy-handed approach, calling it 'over the top' and urging a ceasefire to help starving civilians. 

Then after the State of the Union, he was caught on a hot mic telling Democratic colleagues he planned to have a 'come to Jesus' meeting with Netanyahu. 

The rift between the two has set raised questions about whether Biden might restrict military aid if Israel goes ahead with a ground offensive in Gaza.

Any decision by Biden, who has called himself a 'Zionist,' to get tough with Israel would run counter to his decades-old history as an ardent supporter of the country.

Netanyahu hit back at Biden on Monday morning, laying out of his own red line in Gaza. 

Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport, on Oct. 18, 2023, in Tel Aviv

A man walks past placards with photos of hostages kidnapped in the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas from Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel

Palestinian children hold a representational funeral for their 10-year-old peer Yezen Al-Kfarna who died of malnutrition, and protest the famine

Speaking to 'Fox and Friends', he told the outlet: 'Look, it's either Israel or Hamas. There's no middle way. I mean, we have to have that victory.

'We can't have three quarters of a victory. We can't have two thirds of a victory because Hamas will reconstitute itself with these four battalions in Rafah, reconquer the Gaza Strip, and do the October 7 massacre over and over and over again.

'And for us, Israel, not merely for me, but the people of Israel that's a red line. We can't let Hamas survive.'

Biden initially stood with Netanyahu as his strongest backer, supporting his war aims of destroying Hamas and arguing that a ceasefire would merely give the group a chance to rearm and reorganize.

But with other world leaders taking a tougher line against Israel, Biden has seen the left of his own party rebel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a Cabinet meeting at the Kirya, in Tel Aviv on December 17, 2023

On Saturday, he warned Netanyahu that his approach was undermining Israel's own interests and he spelled out a red line.

'[Netanyahu] has a right to defend Israel, a right to continue to pursue Hamas,' he told MSNBC in an interview.

'But he must, he must, he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken.

'He's hurting, in my view, he's hurting Israel more than helping Israel by making the rest of the world... it's contrary to what Israel stands for. And I think it's a big mistake.'

The president was asked if there was any 'red line' for his support of Israel, such as the invasion of the city of Rafah.

'It is a red line, but I'm never going to leave Israel,' he said, refusing to cut off military sales to Israel. 

Asked about potential limits on weapons, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday he would not engage in 'hypotheticals' and that news reports about Biden's thinking on the issue were 'uninformed speculation.'