US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that Israel’s planned attack on Iran influenced the timing of Washington’s own military strike, which later triggered broader conflict. Rubio said the United States had prior knowledge of Israel’s intentions and feared Tehran might retaliate against American interests in the region, prompting a preemptive US strike.

Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Stimson Center, criticized Rubio’s remarks, saying he effectively admitted that the United States had fallen into an Israeli trap. She noted that the US provides Israel with billions of dollars in military aid annually, reflecting their deep strategic ties. Grieco argued that there is now an urgent need to discuss where US and Israeli interests align and where they diverge.

Grieco made these comments in an interview with Qatar-based news outlet Al Jazeera, highlighting growing debate over the implications of US-Israel coordination in Middle East security policy.