Fact Check: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the U.S. had no advance warning of the Israeli attack.

Fact Check: "Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the U.S. had no advance warning of the Israeli attack."

What We Know

Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a statement following Israel's military strikes against Iran, asserting that the U.S. was not involved in these actions and emphasizing that they were "unilateral" on Israel's part. In his statement, Rubio clearly stated, "We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region" (source-1). However, reports indicate that Israeli officials had notified the U.S. prior to the strikes, suggesting that there was indeed advance communication regarding the military action (source-2).

Analysis

The claim that Secretary Rubio stated the U.S. had no advance warning of the Israeli attack is misleading. While Rubio emphasized that the U.S. was not involved in the strikes, he also noted that Israel had informed the U.S. of their belief that the action was necessary for self-defense (source-3). This indicates that there was at least some level of communication between the two nations prior to the strikes.

Furthermore, multiple credible sources corroborate that Israeli officials provided advance notice to the U.S. about the planned military actions (source-4, source-5). The reliability of these sources is high, as they include established news organizations like The New York Times and BBC, which are known for their journalistic standards.

The critical assessment here is that while Rubio's statement focused on U.S. non-involvement, it did not deny that the U.S. received prior notice of the Israeli strikes. Thus, the assertion that the U.S. had no advance warning is not supported by the available evidence.

Conclusion

Verdict: False
The claim that Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the U.S. had no advance warning of the Israeli attack is false. Rubio acknowledged that Israel had communicated their intentions to the U.S. prior to the strikes, which contradicts the assertion of a lack of advance warning. Therefore, the statement misrepresents the context and content of Rubio's remarks.

Sources

1. Rubio calls Israeli strikes against Iran 'unilateral,' says US ...
2. US says it was not involved in Israel's military strikes in Iran
3. U.S. Was Not Involved in Israeli Strikes on Iran, Rubio Says
4. Rubio calls Israeli strikes against Iran 'unilateral,' says US ...
5. Trump scrambles to claim credit for Israel's Iran attack he ...