Rubio Defends US-Israeli Strikes on Iran Citing “Imminent Threat”
Speaking to journalists at Capitol Hill before addressing the so-called Gang of Eight — the four top congressional leaders along with the chairs of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees — Rubio insisted that the threat was urgent.
“There absolutely was an imminent threat,” Rubio told reporters on Capitol Hill before briefing the Gang of Eight – the four congressional leaders and the heads of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.
He explained that US officials anticipated an Israeli strike on Iran and believed Tehran would respond by targeting American forces without delay. According to Rubio, Washington chose not to wait for that scenario to unfold.
“We knew that if Iran was attacked, and we believed it would be attacked, that they would immediately come after us, and we were not going to sit there and absorb a blow before we responded,” he said.
Rubio added that Pentagon leaders had cautioned against allowing Iran to initiate hostilities, warning such restraint would likely lead to greater loss of life. He characterized the US operation as a proactive but defensive measure aimed at minimizing casualties.
He further emphasized that President Donald Trump authorized the move based on expectations of swift retaliation against American troops once Israel acted.
“And so the president made a very wise decision: We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that would precipitate an attack against American forces. And we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them, before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” Rubio said.
However, as stated by reports, some Defense Department officials privately informed congressional aides during closed-door briefings on Sunday that intelligence findings did not show Iran was preparing to strike US forces first.
Rubio also outlined broader objectives behind the strikes, saying the campaign seeks to dismantle Iran’s missile infrastructure and counter what he described as naval threats to international maritime routes. He cautioned that the conflict could intensify in the coming days.
“I’m not going to give away the details of our tactical efforts, but the hardest hits are yet to come from the US military. The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now,” he said.
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