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US says Rubio to visit Israel on Monday to discuss Iran, Lebanon and Gaza peace plan

By AFP and ToI Staff 27 February 2026, 5:50 pm
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media at the Civil-Military Coordination Center for Gaza in southern Israel, October 24, 2025. (Fadel Senna/Pool Photo via AP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media at the Civil-Military Coordination Center for Gaza in southern Israel, October 24, 2025. (Fadel Senna/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold talks Monday in Israel on Iran, the State Department announces, as the United States builds up forces for a potential strike on the Islamic Republic.

Rubio “will discuss a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon and ongoing efforts to implement President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott says.

Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, writes on X that Rubio’s trip will go ahead despite the US authorizing non-emergency personel and family members of those based in Israel to leave the country.

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