Secretary of State Marco Rubio pinned Iran to every terrorist group during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, saying the country is “the single greatest source of instability” in the Middle East.
Rubio and Netanyahu met in Jerusalem a day after Hamas released three Israeli hostages, including an Israeli American abducted during the Oct. 7 attack, according to NBC. Rubio said after the meeting that Hamas “must be eradicated,” a potentially incendiary remark as the ceasefire deal enters its “phase two” stage.
Both Rubio and Netanyahu hurled barbs at Iran during a press conference, and Rubio noted the U.S.‘s efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. He linked the country’s leaders to terrorist groups across the region.
Iran has sponsored various militant groups, including Hamas, though it has not backed others such as the Islamic State.
“Behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilizing activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people who call this region home, is Iran,” Rubio said.
“It’s important to constantly point that whether we talk about Hamas or we talk about Hezbollah or we talk about violence in the West Bank or we talk about destabilization of Syria or we talk about any of these issues, the militias in Iraq—they all have behind them one common theme—Iran," he added.
The comments come as U.S. officials and President Donald Trump have threatened Hamas over the ceasefire deal. Trump promised “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas did not release all remaining hostages by Saturday. After it released three, Trump imposed another deadline and promised the U.S. would back whatever decision Israel made against the country.
Netanyahu has not said whether Israel will strike Gaza again, but he vowed on Sunday to eliminate the group’s governmental body.
“We will eliminate Hamas’s military capability and its political rule in Gaza,” he said. “We will bring all our hostages home and we will ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.”
