Rubio says Israeli strike on Gaza Saturday didn’t violate ceasefire

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Washington does not view a strike that Israel said targeted a member of a Palestinian terror group in Gaza as a violation of a US-backed ceasefire.

Israel said it struck a member of the Islamic Jihad group on Saturday, accusing the individual of planning to attack Israeli troops. Islamic Jihad denied it was planning an attack.

Speaking aboard President Donald Trump’s plane during a trip to Asia, Rubio says, “We don’t view that as a violation of the ceasefire.”

The top US diplomat adds that Israel has not surrendered its right to self-defense as part of the agreement brokered by Washington, Egypt and Qatar.

“They have the right if there’s an imminent threat to Israel, and all the mediators agree with that,” Rubio says.

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