U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Thursday that the Jewish state has Washington’s “steadfast support,” according to Tammy Bruce, the U.S. State Department spokeswoman.
Rubio “congratulated the foreign minister on the recently-freed hostages and the ceasefire agreement in Gaza” and “pledged to work tirelessly to help free all remaining hostages held in Gaza and welcomed continued flow of aid into Gaza,” according to Bruce.
The U.S. secretary also praised Israel’s “successes against Hamas and Hezbollah and the ongoing efforts to implement the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon” and said that there is a mutual understanding that “the pursuit of peace in the region requires addressing the threats posed by Iran,” per the U.S. readout.
Sa’ar stated that he had an “important conversation” with Rubio, whom he called “a true friend of Israel.”
“We are committed to working hard and closely with President Trump and his administration to deal with our common challenges and to expand our alliances,” Sa’ar stated. “I invited Secretary Rubio to visit Israel and we agreed to meet soon.”