Rubio Says US Attacks on Iran Were Preemptive
“There absolutely was an imminent threat,” Rubio told reporters on Capitol Hill before briefing the Gang of Eight, which includes congressional leaders and the heads of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.
“We knew that if Iran was attacked, and we believed it would be attacked, that they would immediately come after us, and we were not going to sit there and absorb a blow before we responded,” he said.
He explained that the Defense Department had warned that waiting for Iran to strike first would result in “more casualties and more deaths,” framing the US strikes as a proactive defensive measure.
“And so the president made a very wise decision: We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew 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,” Rubio added.
Media reports indicated that Pentagon officials had informed congressional staff in private briefings that there was no confirmed intelligence suggesting Iran planned to strike US forces first.
Rubio emphasized that the US operations aim to dismantle Iran’s missile infrastructure and neutralize threats from its naval forces to global shipping lanes, warning that further escalation is likely.
“I’m not going to give away the details of our tactical efforts, but the hardest hits are yet to come from the US military. The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now,” he said.
“How long will it take? I don’t know how long it will take. We have objectives. We will do this as long as it takes.”
Earlier, Israel announced a “preemptive” strike on Iran early Saturday under the name “Operation Lion’s Roar,” declaring a “special and immediate” state of emergency across the country.
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