The US is unsatisfied with Ya'alon's apology after he allegedly called US Secretary of State John Kerry's peace efforts "messianic" and "obsessive," reported Channel 2 on Tuesday.
According to the report, the US wants Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly endorse Kerry's peace efforts to make amends for the incident.
Ya'alon issued a statement Tuesday afternoon saying, "The US is our greatest friend and most important ally, and when there are divisions we smooth them over inside the room [behind closed doors], including with Secretary of State Kerry."
In a rare rebuke, the US State Department called the comments "offensive and inappropriate."
Netanyahu also came to Kerry's defense earlier on Tuesday, saying "even when we have disagreements with the US, they are always on the heart of the matter, not on the merits of an individual."