Did Israel “force” US to attack Iran? Rubio hints yes, Trump says no

Since the launch of the US, Israeli attack on Iran Saturday February 28, a number of questions are still left unanswered.

Why attack Iran now? How long will the conflict last? What is the endgoal?

We’re unlikely to get solid answers to all of our questions right now, but remarks from US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Monday hinted that Israel might have indirectly forced the US into attacking Iran.

What did Rubio say?

Speaking to reporters at the Capitaol, Marco Rubio said Monday, that Israel’s determination to attack Iran was a key element in the US decision to conduct pre-emptive strikes on Iran.

According to The Guardian Rubio argued that an Israeli attack on Iran would most likely prompt Iran to attack US personnel in the region as retaliation.

“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 pre-emptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” he said according to The Guardian.

Trump denies

During a press meeting alongside German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, Trump was asked, if Israel had pushed him into military action against Iran, and Trump denied, saying “he might have forced their hand”, Reuters reports.

The Guardian cites Marco Rubio for later backtracking on his remarks, instead telling reporters: “The president made a decision, and the decision he made was that Iran was not going to be allowed to hide behind its ballistic missile program.”

MAGA backlash

Trump campaigned for office, promising his MAGA base that he would not draw the US into any more long and draining wars, referring to the both Afghanistan and Iraq.

And the new conflict started in the Middle East has sparked new debate in MAGA-land.

Commenting on Rubios initial remarks, conservative podcaster, Matt Walsh, wrote on X: “So he’s flat out telling us that we’re in a war with Iran because Israel forced our hand:”

Another conservative podcaster, Megyn Kelly, said: “Our government’s job is not to look out for Iran or for Israel. ​It’s to look out for us. And this feels very much to me like it is clearly Israel’s war.”

Sources: The Guardian, Reuters, X profile of Matt Walsh, The Megyn Kelly Show

This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation