Rubio to visit Israel next week as US-Iran tensions soar

TEL AVIV, Israel — Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make a quick trip to Israel early next week as tensions between the United States and Iran soar amid a massive buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East, the State Department said Friday. The department said in a statement that Rubio would visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday to “discuss a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon, and ongoing efforts to implement President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza.” It offered no other details. The announcement comes just hours after the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem implemented “authorized departure” status for non-essential personnel and family members, which means that eligible staffers can leave the country voluntarily at government expense. The U.S. Embassy in Israel on Friday told its staff that it could leave the country and urged anyone considering departure to do so immediately. In an email U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee urged staff considering departure to do so quickly, advising them to to focus initially on getting any flight out of Israel and to then make the