An explosive new book by Bob Woodward chronicles some of President Joe Biden’s acknowledged missteps and his struggle to prevent escalation of conflict in the Middle East, including exasperation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over futile efforts to get Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire, AFP reports.

According to CNN, which obtained a pre-release book copy, Woodward repeatedly quotes Biden dropping swears as he discusses his personal and political challenges.

Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin “the epitome of evil”, blasted Netanyahu as a “liar” and said he “should never have picked” Merrick Garland as US attorney general.

According to the book, during an April phone call, Biden turned testy with Netanyahu.

“What’s your strategy, man?” Biden asked the Israeli leader, according to Woodward.

“We have to go into Rafah,” Netanyahu said, referring to a city in southern Gaza.

“Bibi, you’ve got no strategy,” Biden responded.

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