Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu at a News Conference in Jerusalem
IN PHOTO: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a news conference at his office in Jerusalem August 6, 2014. REUTERS/Jim Hollander

A United States senior administration official has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "chickens---." The unnamed official revealed to The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg what he thought of the Israeli leader in discussing tensions between Israel and the U.S. The official had said Mr Netanyahu is causing frustration in the White House and the U.S. State Department.

In response to the comment, the office of Mr Netanyahu hit back and said the Israeli prime minister will continue to uphold the security interests of Israel and the rights of the people in Jerusalem. The office of the prime minister said no amount of pressure will change that.

In the interview, the U.S. official said the good thing about Mr Netanyahu was he was scared to launch wars, but the "bad thing" about the Israeli leader is he was unwilling to reach an agreement with Palestinians or the Sunni Arab states. He remarked that Mr Netanyahu was "protecting himself" from political defeat.

Another U.S. official revealed the White House no longer believes Mr Netanyahu is capable of launching a preemptive strike against Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. He said the idea was still possible from 2010 to 2012, but now, it was too late.

Meanwhile, Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said the prime minister is not a private individual but a leader of the Jewish state. He responded harshly that the "severe curse words" against Mr Netanyahu are considered harmful to millions of Jews around the world, Haaretz reports (subscription required).

Bennett also criticised the Obama administration official and said the prime minister was not Syria's President Assad who killed 150,000 of the Syrian people. He was shocked to hear such comments against the leader of the only democratic country in the Middle East. He demanded the U.S. administration take back the offensive remarks and chided the U.S. to strengthen Israel instead of "attacking" it.

Following The Atlantic report, U.S. National Security spokesperson Alistair Baskey attempted to downplay the tension between the U.S. and Israel. He assured media the government does not believe ties with Israel are in crisis.