Netanyahu declares "we can finish the job" against Iran following meeting with Rubio.

 He states that Israel and America stand united in countering the threat of Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel and the United States' commitment to countering Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional influence following his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Netanyahu described the discussion as "very productive," emphasizing that no issue was more critical than Iran.

"Israel and America stand shoulder to shoulder in countering the threat of Iran," he said. "We agreed that the ayatollahs must not obtain nuclear weapons and that Iran’s aggression in the region must be rolled back."

Rubio echoed Netanyahu’s concerns, stating: "Behind every terrorist group, every act of violence, and every destabilizing activity threatening peace and stability in this region stands Iran."

The decades-long enmity between Israel and Iran has played out through covert operations, cyber warfare, and military strikes across land, sea, and air. While Iran insists its uranium enrichment program is for peaceful purposes, it has also backed groups that form the so-called "Axis of Resistance" against Israel and U.S. influence. This coalition includes Hamas, which launched the October 2023 attack that ignited the Gaza war, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various Shi'ite militias in Iraq and Syria.

Since the start of the Gaza conflict, Israel has targeted senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, engaging in a series of retaliatory exchanges with Iran. Netanyahu claimed that Israel had dealt a "mighty blow" to Iran and expressed confidence in achieving a decisive outcome with U.S. support.

"With the backing of President Donald Trump, I have no doubt we can and will finish the job," he said.

Netanyahu also thanked Rubio for his "unequivocal backing" of Israel’s policy in Gaza, emphasizing the shared strategic approach between Israel and the U.S. under Trump.

"I want to assure everyone listening: President Trump and I are working in full cooperation and coordination," he said.

Rubio emphasized that Hamas must not remain a military or governing force, stating: "As long as it retains the ability to govern, administer, or threaten through violence, peace will be impossible."

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. In response, Gaza has suffered devastating losses, with more than 48,000 people killed, according to Palestinian health officials. Much of the enclave has been reduced to rubble, and most of its prewar population of 2.3 million has been displaced multiple times, humanitarian agencies report.

Trump has sparked outrage across the Arab world and surprised U.S. allies by proposing that the United States take control of Gaza, relocate its Palestinian residents, and redevelop the area into an international beach resort. His plan has heightened Palestinian fears of a repeat of the 1948 "Nakba," or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands were displaced during Israel’s founding.

Rubio defended Trump's proposal, calling it "a bold vision, not the same tired ideas of the past" and praising the former president's "courage" in outlining it.

"It may have shocked and surprised many, but what cannot continue is the same cycle where we repeat history and end up in the same place," he said.

Meanwhile, Arab states are working to develop an alternative vision for Gaza, which was already struggling with poverty and unemployment before the war.

On the issue of Syria, Rubio remained cautious. The country, ravaged by civil war, faces the challenge of rebuilding after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, a longtime Iranian ally. Assad was ousted by a coalition of rebels led by Islamist figure Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda affiliate and leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Sharaa was declared Syria’s transitional president in late January, consolidating his power just weeks after leading the campaign that toppled Assad.

"While the fall of Assad is certainly significant, if Syria is merely replacing one destabilizing force with another, it is not a positive development," Rubio warned. "This is something we will watch very carefully as we shape our approach to the evolving situation in Syria."