Rubio Suggests Timing of US Strikes on Iran Was Influenced by Israeli Plans

Washington D.C. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that Israel's planned attack set the timing for Washington's action against Tehran.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Rubio stated that the US was already aware of Israel's impending attack on Iran. He claimed that the US military launched a preemptive strike because Iran was certain to retaliate against US interests in the Middle East.

'We knew action was coming from Israel,' he said following a briefing with parliamentary leaders, 'We knew it would provoke an attack on US forces, and if we hadn't taken preemptive action before they started attacking, our losses would have been greater.'

Minutes after Rubio's comment, the US military confirmed that the death toll of American soldiers had reached six after two more bodies were found from the regional structure attacked by Iran.

Tehran had launched drone and missile strikes in the region in retaliation for the joint US-Israel attack. It was claimed that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, high-ranking officials, and hundreds of civilians were killed in that initial attack.

Rubio reiterated that although the US and Israel attacked first, they were acting to prevent an imminent threat. According to him, Israel was preparing to attack Iran even if it were alone.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video message on Sunday, referred to US President Donald Trump as a "friend" and stated that joint action was underway.

Rubio accused Iran of collecting missiles and drones to protect its nuclear program and advance towards nuclear bomb capability. The US-Israel attack began within 48 hours of completing a round of talks regarding Iran's nuclear program.

Although the goal of the war was to destroy Iran's missile and drone program, he also clarified that the US would not be upset if the regime in Iran changed. Meanwhile, the US has urged its citizens in more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries—Gulf Cooperation Council nations, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories—to "depart immediately."

According to US official Mora Namdar, the State Department urged immediate departure using available commercial flights due to escalating security risks.