Rubio Says US Had to Strike Iran Because Iran Would Defend Itself If Attacked

"It was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by anyone, the United States or Israel or anyone, they were going to respond and respond against the United States. We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that 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."

"Reports say that an attack by Israel wasn't imminent without U.S. approval. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for war with Iran for decades, and in December, Netanyahu reportedly asked Trump for approval to strike Iran during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio provided justification for U.S. military action against Iran, stating that Iran would respond to any attack from the U.S. or Israel, necessitating preemptive strikes to prevent American casualties. Rubio claimed the U.S. knew Israel would act unilaterally and that Iranian retaliation was inevitable, forcing coordinated action beforehand. He stated the strikes aim to destroy Iran's missile capability. However, reports indicate Israeli leaders have been coordinating with the U.S. for months, contradicting claims of imminent unilateral Israeli action. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has long sought war with Iran and reportedly requested Trump's approval during a December meeting at Mar-a-Lago.

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