U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel on Sunday (September 14), stepping into a region already fraught with tension following Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and its plans to expand settlements in the West Bank.
Rubio and his wife, Jeanette Dousdebes, were greeted by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee upon landing at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
Speaking to reporters before departure from Washington, Rubio acknowledged President Donald Trump’s displeasure over the Doha strike but stressed that it would not shake the U.S.-Israel alliance. “Obviously, we were not happy about it. The president was not happy with it. Now we need to move forward and figure out what comes next,” he said. “At the end of the day, when all is said and done, there is still a group called Hamas, which is an evil group that still has weapons and is terrorizing.”
Rubio said he would raise with Israeli officials how the strike might affect Trump’s goals of securing the release of all hostages, dismantling Hamas, and ending the war in Gaza. “It’s not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis. But we are going to have to talk about it,” he noted.
The secretary of state also addressed Qatar’s role, after its capital was struck in last week’s air raid. Asked if Doha would still cooperate with Washington, he replied: “We have a relationship with them as well. They’ve been good partners on a number of fronts.”
Rubio also plans to visit Jerusalem’s City of David archaeological site, describing it as an extraordinary place of global significance and rejecting suggestions that the stop was politically motivated.
Israel insists its actions are in self-defence following Hamas’s October 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 people and saw more than 250 hostages taken.
After his stop in Israel, Rubio is expected to join President Trump during his planned visit to Britain next week.
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All 12 people on board a plane that crashed near Butler Memorial Airport in the U.S. state of Missouri have died, according to local authorities.
Senior officials from Azerbaijan and Armenia held a working meeting in Dilijan, Armenia, on 14 June to discuss issues related to the peace agenda between the two countries.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Geneva on Sunday, 14 June ahead of this week's G7 summit in neighbouring France, but a largely peaceful demonstration later descended into clashes with police.
Details of a reported draft memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran offer the clearest picture yet of how both sides plan to end months of conflict and move towards a longer-term settlement.
Pakistan has warned that any attempt by India to block or significantly reduce river flows under the Indus Waters Treaty could have “far-reaching consequences”, after India's water minister said New Delhi was working to ensure that “not a single drop” of water reaches Pakistan in the coming years.
Armenia has every right to choose Europe. But Europe’s support for Armenia’s direction should not become automatic approval of its political process.
The U.S. and Iran say they have reached a deal to end their conflict, with an immediate ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade. Talks will continue over the next 60 days to finalise the agreement
U.S. President Donald Trump has said a peace agreement with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday in a post on social media, despite Tehran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying no deal would be approved this weekend.
Japan’s birth rate and fertility levels have fallen to their lowest levels on record, highlighting the country’s worsening demographic crisis as fewer people marry and have children.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, 14 June about efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine, as world leaders prepare to gather for the G7 summit in France.
All 12 people on board a plane that crashed near Butler Memorial Airport in the U.S. state of Missouri have died, according to local authorities.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Geneva on Sunday, 14 June ahead of this week's G7 summit in neighbouring France, but a largely peaceful demonstration later descended into clashes with police.
Veteran U.S. politician Mitch McConnell has been admitted to hospital in Washington, DC, according to his office.
British anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson said he was detained by police at Heathrow Airport on Saturday, 13 June and had his mobile phone seized, days after posting extensively online about racist and anti-immigrant unrest in Northern Ireland.
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