Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Feb. 16, where the two vowed to combat Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Netanyahu said after the meeting that he and Rubio had a “very productive discussion” on several issues, “none more important than Iran.”
“Israel and America stand shoulder to shoulder in countering the threat of Iran,” the prime minister said. “We agreed that the ayatollahs must not have nuclear weapons and also agreed that Iran’s aggression in the region must be rolled back.”
Rubio pointed to Iran as the main aggressor in the region.
“Behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilizing activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people that call this region home is Iran,” he said.
Israel has hit Iran with a “mighty blow” over the past 16 months since the start of the war against the Hamas terrorist group, Netanyahu said, adding that with U.S. President Donald Trump’s support, he has “no doubt” that Israel can and will “finish the job.”
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon has been weakened as Israel hits hundreds of targets in Syria to stop a new Iranian-backed front from mobilizing against it, the prime minister said.
“Now, if any other force believes that Israel will permit other hostile forces to use Syria as a base of operations against us, they are gravely mistaken,” Netanyahu said.
Rubio’s visit occurred about a week after Trump floated the idea that Gaza’s 2.2 million Palestinian residents would be relocated and the United States would take control and ownership of the seaside territory. Trump also suggested that Egypt and Jordan take in Palestinians from Gaza, a proposal both nations rejected.
Netanyahu thanked Rubio for the United States’ “unequivocal backing” of Israel’s policies with Gaza and added that he and Trump share a common vision for the territory, where a fragile cease-fire deal is in effect between Israel and Hamas following more than 15 months of war.
“I want to assure everyone who’s now listening to us, President Trump and I are working in full cooperation and coordination,” Netanyahu said.
Rubio said that Hamas “cannot continue as a military or government force, and as long as it stands as a force that can govern or administer or a force that can threaten by use of violence, peace becomes impossible.”
As Rubio and Netanyahu spoke about Israel’s policy with Gaza, a U.S. shipment of heavy bombs arrived in Israel after the Trump administration lifted a hold on deliveries last month.
The shipment of MK-84 munitions “represents a significant asset for the Air Force and the IDF and serves as further evidence of the strong alliance between Israel and the United States,” Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
“In our recent conversation, Secretary of Defense, Hon. Pete Hegseth, reaffirmed America’s commitment to continue providing Israel with all necessary tools to ensure its security,” he said.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden had restricted the delivery of the 2,000-pound bombs to Israel out of concerns that the weapons could be used indiscriminately in areas of Gaza densely populated with civilians.
The Gaza Strip could look dramatically different if Israel and the United States move forward with Trump’s relocation proposals. On Feb. 10, Trump suggested that any Palestinians leaving Gaza would not necessarily have the right to return, which contradicted some of his officials who had previously said the move would be temporary.
