Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of lying in his rejection of Tehran's overtures to the West as a cosmetic "charm offensive".

"We have seen nothing from Netanyahu but lies and actions to deceive and scare, and international public opinion will not let these lies go unanswered," Zarif said in an interview with Iranian television broadcast on Tuesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday for his "courage" in "good faith" negotiations with the Palestinians on final status issues.

"I commended him for entering into good faith negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. I appreciate the prime minister's courage in being willing to step forward."

President Barack Obama promised Benjamin Netanyahu Monday he would enter talks with Iran with clear eyes and demand verifiable actions, following the Israeli leader's warnings about "sweet talk" from Tehran.

Netanyahu and Obama held talks at the White House, days after Obama's historic call with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spurred hopes for a breakthrough in the 30-year estrangement between Washington and the Islamic Republic.

President Shimon Peres said on Sunday that Israel's reaction to landmark contacts between the United States and Iran had been too "scornful" of its key ally.

His comments came just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for Washington for talks with President Barack Obama, determined to expose what he described as "sweet talk" by Israel's arch-foe.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early Wednesday blasted Iranian President Hassan Rowhani for making what he described as a "cynical speech that was full of hypocrisy" at the U.N. General Assembly.

Rowhani, who swept to power in June on promises to ease tensions with the West and combat U.S.-led sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy, said in his speech that his country posed no threat and was not pursuing nuclear weapons.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he would stress the need to halt Iran's nuclear program when he meets U.S. President Barack Obama later this month.

Speaking at a meeting of his cabinet, Netanyahu said he would meet Obama before addressing the United Nations in New York.

The threat of U.S. military action against Syria remains "real", Washington's top diplomat said on Sunday a day after striking a deal with Russia to destroy Damascus' chemical weapons stockpile.

"The threat of force remains, the threat is real," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said at a news conference in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that the international community must ensure Syria is stripped of its chemical weapons as a lesson to its ally Iran.

Any impression of Syria getting away with its use of such arms would be taken as encouragement by Iran, which Israel and the West accuse of seeking to develop a nuclear arsenal, he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the Jewish State was prepared for "every possible scenario" in neighboring Syria after U.S. President Barack Obama postponed a threatened missile strike.

"Israel is calm and sure of itself, the citizens of Israel know that we are prepared for every possible scenario," he told ministers at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, in remarks broadcast on public radio.

Israel deployed its Iron Dome missile defense system in Tel Aviv on Friday, as the United States weighed military strikes on neighboring Syria, local media said.

Army radio said that a battery of the mobile system was set up during the morning in the greater Tel Aviv area.