RUBIO ADMITTED THAT ISRAEL DRAGGED AMERICA INTO THE WAR? „We knew that Iran would attack us when Israel attacks them, that is why we attacked them first!“ (VIDEO)

Israel’s decision to attack Iran, with the assessment that American forces could become targets of retaliation, forced the administration of President Donald Trump to launch preemptive strikes, stated Secretary of State Marco Rubio, offering a new rationale for Washington’s entry into the conflict.

Such an explanation sparked divided reactions among leading members of Congress, who last night received a classified briefing for the first time since the launch of the attacks was ordered over the weekend, writes “The Guardian.”

Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kane addressed lawmakers behind closed doors on Capitol Hill, ahead of a vote on a resolution regarding war powers. It is expected that this resolution will be voted on later this week in the House of Representatives.

“It was completely clear that if Iran were attacked – whether by the United States, Israel, or a third party – it would retaliate by striking American targets,” Rubio told reporters.

He added that Washington knew Israel was preparing an action and that it would almost certainly provoke attacks on American forces.

“We knew that the Israeli move would provoke an attack on American troops and that, if we did not act preemptively, we would suffer greater losses,” Rubio emphasized.

Vance: Iran must not have nuclear weapons

Vice President JD Vance stated in an interview with “Fox News” that the key goal of the United States is to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

“The President wants to clearly convey to Iran and the world that he will not stop until he achieves an extremely important goal – that Iran cannot obtain nuclear armament,” Vance said.

Since the beginning of the conflict, the US and Israel have carried out multiple airstrikes across Iran, while Tehran responded with drone and missile attacks on American allies in the Middle East.

In the attacks so far, several high-ranking Iranian military and political officials have been killed, including the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The US military confirmed the deaths of six of its members, while the Iranian Red Crescent announced that more than 500 people had died in Iran.

Iran denies that it is developing nuclear weapons.

.@SecRubio: "The president made the very wise decision—we knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that 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… pic.twitter.com/Jp5rqpRH4T
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 2, 2026

Divided reactions in Congress

The administration’s rationale for entering the war caused sharp divisions along party lines. Republicans stood in defense of Trump’s decision, while Democrats assessed that it was an unnecessary conflict without a clearly defined strategy.

“This is Trump’s war – a war of choice. He has neither a strategy nor a clear end goal,” stated Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer before the start of the briefing.

After the meeting, Schumer said that lawmakers asked numerous questions, but that the answers were “completely insufficient” and that the briefing opened more dilemmas than it offered explanations.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner expressed concern over the possibility of the United States being dragged into a new war due to Israeli moves.

“There was no immediate threat from Iran to the United States. The threat was directed toward Israel. If we equate that with a direct threat to America, we are entering very dangerous territory,” Warner warned.

War Powers Resolution

Trump ordered the attack without prior approval from Congress, although, according to Rubio, the so-called “Group of Eight” – the highest congressional leaders – was informed before the start of the operation.

The House of Representatives could consider a war powers resolution later this week, which, if adopted, would obligate the President to cease hostilities. However, its adoption is uncertain, as Republicans control both houses of Congress.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson defended Trump’s decision, assessing that it was a “defensive operation.”

“Israel was ready to act in self-defense, with or without American support, because it faces what it considers an existential threat,” Johnson said.

He added that stripping the President of powers at this moment is considered a dangerous move.

“I hope and believe that we have enough votes to reject the resolution,” Johnson said.