US-Israel
Israel-US alliance 'never been stronger', Netanyahu says as State Secretary Rubio visit for talks
Jerusalem: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with the Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Sunday visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State held a joint prayer for the well-being of the hostages held by Hamas.
Netanyahu said Rubio's visit "is a testament to the durability and strength of the Israeli-American alliance.
"It's as strong and as durable as the stones of the Western Wall that we just touched."
Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio, "the alliance has never been stronger," Netanyahu added.
Rubio visited Israel on Sunday amidst tensions with U.S. allies in the Middle East over Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and its settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
Speaking to reporters before departure, Rubio reiterated that the U.S. and President Donald Trump were "not happy about the strikes".
Rubio said U.S. and Israel relations would remain unchanged.
He added that he would discuss with Israeli officials how the strike could affect Trump’s efforts to free Hamas hostages, defeat the militants and end the Gaza war.
"What's happened, has happened," he said. "We're gonna meet with them. We're gonna talk about what the future holds," he said.
In a post on X, Rubio said his focus in Israel "will be on securing the return of hostages, finding ways to make sure humanitarian aid reaches civilians, and addressing the threat posed by Hamas."
On Tuesday, Israel launched airstrikes on Doha in an attempt to kill the political leaders of Hamas.
Hamas reported that six people had been killed, including the son of one of its exiled leaders from the Gaza Strip – but added that its senior negotiators and top officials had all survived.
Netanyahu said that the attack had been Israel’s sole responsibility.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the president had been informed in advance and directed his officials to alert Doha, a claim Qatari officials denied.
President Donald Trump said in a social media post that bombing Qatar, a “sovereign nation and close ally” of the US, does not advance the goals of either Israel or the US.
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