The U.S. Secretary of State is expected to meet separately with Israeli President Issac Herzog, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and other senior officials.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met for some three hours with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday morning.
Attending the meeting were Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Jerusalem’s envoy to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, according to Netanyahu’s office.
“Mr. Secretary, Marco, your visit to our eternal and undivided capital of Jerusalem is a powerful affirmation of a powerful bond,” Netanyahu opened his remarks to the press following the meeting.
“We stand in a time of immense challenges: the aggression of Iran and its terrorist proxies, those who chant ‘Death to America, death to Israel,’ and they are not chanting it by accident, because they see Israel as the frontline of American civilization here in the Middle East,” he added.
The premier said that while Iran’s threats “still linger,” they are “are lot less dangerous now” following the joint Israeli-U.S. military action against Iran’s nuclear program and missile arsenal in June.
U.S. President Donald Trump recently told Netanyahu to “remember October 7th,” the Israeli leader stated, referencing the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 people in the Jewish state. “Remember October 7th, that’s what he said. It’s like: remember the Alamo. Remember October 7th. And we remember. Remember the savagery. Remember the incredible massacre of the innocents. We remember our hostages, who we are committed to bringing all of them home, the living and the dead.”
Trump has been an “outstanding global leader,” according to Netanyahu, who said the U.S. president “transformed the world to better all of us.”
Jerusalem and Washington will continue to “protect our common civilization, because we are engaged in a battle of civilization and barbarism,” Netanyahu vowed.
Rubio opened his remarks by thanking Netanyahu for his “friendship” on behalf of Trump, as well as the friendship Israel has shown toward United States “on so many issues we work on together, that extend beyond the causes of war and peace.
“The president has been clear on the ongoing issues in Gaza,” he continued. “Every single hostage, both living and deceased, needs to be home immediately. Hamas can no longer continue to exist as an armed element that threatens the peace and security, not just of Israel, but of the world, and that the people of Gaza deserve a better future, one that cannot begin until Hamas is eliminated and until all of the hostages, both living and deceased, are home.”
On Iran, Rubio noted that the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile program threatened not only the Jewish state and the U.S. military’s presence in the region, but “extends way beyond that to the kingdoms of the Gulf and, eventually, even into Europe.
“A nuclear Iran governed by a radical Shia cleric that possesses not just nuclear weapons, potentially, but the missiles that could deliver those weapons far away—it’s an unacceptable risk,” he declared, vowing to continue Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran.
After the meeting with Netanyahu, Rubio met separately with Sa’ar. He is also scheduled to sit down with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and other senior officials.
Sa’ar said he discussed “mutual challenges” during the meeting with Rubio, calling his U.S. counterpart “a true friend of Israel” and his visit a “further testament to the unbreakable Israeli-American alliance.
“This alliance has never been stronger!” Sa’ar tweeted.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo by Rafi Hakun/GPO.
The top American diplomat visited the Western Wall in the Old City of the capital on Sunday, accompanied by Netanyahu and Huckabee.
The premier and the secretary of state offered a prayer for the hostages’ safety, as well as a special prayer in honor of Trump, “a true friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel,” according to Netanyahu’s office.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo by Haim Zach/GPO.
Prior to his departure, Rubio said his trip would focus “on securing the return of hostages, finding ways to make sure humanitarian aid reaches civilians, and addressing the threat posed by Hamas.”
“Hamas cannot continue to exist if peace in the region is the goal,” he added.
Tommy Pigott, principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, stated on Friday that Rubio “will convey America’s priorities in the Israel-Hamas conflict and broader issues concerning Middle Eastern security, reaffirming U.S. commitment to Israeli security.”
Discussions will also center on “our commitment to fight anti-Israel actions, including unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state that rewards Hamas terrorism, and lawfare,” he said.
This marks Rubio’s second trip to the Jewish state this year, after his visit in February as part of a multi-country tour of the Middle East.