Fury as Marco Rubio admits Israel forced U.S. into war with Iran | 2 March 2026 | The U.S. launched preemptive strikes against Iran after learning Israel was about to attack — and American troops in the region faced an imminent threat of retaliation, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday. Rubio made the revelation on Capitol Hill, where he briefed a small group of congressional leaders on the joint U.S.-Israel offensive. “There absolutely was an imminent threat,” Rubio stated. “And the imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked, and we believed they would be attacked, that they would immediately come after us, and we were not going to sit there and absorb a blow before we responded.” Rubio said the Department of War determined that a defensive posture following an Israeli attack would only open the U.S. to more casualties. Five American soldiers have died so far in combat. The revelation outraged both Democrats and Republicans.