Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to visit Israel early next week for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the State Department confirmed Friday.
Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, answered “Yes” on X when asked by a reporter if the visit was still on after the US Embassy in Jerusalem said it would allow non-essential staff and families of diplomats to leave the country as fears of war with Iran grow.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Israel from March 2-3, 2026,” department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
“The Secretary will discuss a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon, and ongoing efforts to implement President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza.”
In an email earlier Friday, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged embassy employees who wished to leave to do so “TODAY” — though he stressed this was out of “an abundance of caution” rather than any imminent military action.
Rubio’s trip comes amid rampant speculation about the timing of a possible American attack on Iran.
Huckabee urging his staff to flee appeared to hint that strikes could happen over the weekend — speculation boosted by the fact that the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group is reaching the Israeli coast Friday.
A weekend strike would align with Trump’s rough 10-day deadline for Iran to make a deal, which hits Sunday. Trump also has floated a 10-15-day timeframe, which could suggest the following weekend is more likely.
US and Iranian negotiators left Oman-mediated talks in Geneva without a deal Thursday, but with plans for a followup summit Monday in Vienna to discuss Trump’s demands for the theocratic government to abandon its nuclear program.
