Rubio slams Biden for leaking call with Netanyahu where president discouraged Israeli retaliation against Iran
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio accused the Biden administration of trying to appease anti-Israel activists by leaking call where the president discouraged Israel to retaliate against Iran attacks.
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio accused President Biden of sharing the details of his private phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the press in order to appease anti-Israel "pro-terrorist" activists within the Democratic Party.
On Saturday, Iran launched an unprecedented aerial attack on Israel, firing 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles towards Israel. Out of the hundreds of launches, only a "few" crossed into Israel and caused "minor damages" at the Navatim Airbase, the IDF said.
President Biden reportedly called Netanyahu to congratulate him for fending off the attacks while also urging him not to retaliate against Iran and escalate tensions in the region.
Rubio claimed that Biden shared the private details of this call "to appease" cease-fire activists whom he argued were really "pro-terrorist."
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., accused the Biden administration of leaking the president's phone call with Israeli PM Netanyahu to appease ceasefire activists, whom he deemed anti-Israel and "pro-terrorist." (Getty Images)
Rubio argued the U.S. already knew Israel would retaliate, so this was part of a political "game" the Biden administration was playing.
"There’s only one reason they leaked that. And that is that so when Israel does respond, the White House can say, ‘We told them not to do it,’ and at least somehow, in some way, appease these so-called peace activists," he told CNN's Jake Tapper.
"By the way, these ‘cease-fire now’ people who were out yesterday cheering the launch of hundreds of rockets and drones and missiles against Israel. People that are out there cheering military attacks of this scale and scope are not peace activists. These are antisemites, anti-Israel, pro-terrorist elements out there. And we need to stop calling them peace activists."
"They are not peace activists. You don’t — peace activists do not cheer massive attacks against other countries, which is what they were doing yesterday. So, I guess this is part of the White House’s effort to appease them by putting this out proactively," he continued.
Rubio also said the call would embolden Israel's enemies in the Middle East.
BIDEN'S DOVISH POSTURE TOWARD IRAN EMBOLDENED TEHRAN IN ITS ATTACK ON ISRAEL: EXPERTS
Rubio claimed President Biden leaked his call reportedly urging Israel not to retaliate against Iran after its unprecedented attack, in order to appease ceasefire activists. (AP Newsroom / Fox News Digital)
"It is the continuing part of this public game that they are playing, which frankly, encourages Iran and Hezbollah, which we haven’t even talked about, and the Houthis and all these other elements that are targeting Israel," he added.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.
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Self-described anti-war activists in Chicago cheered after learning that Iran had launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday.
Earlier in the day at that same event, before the Iran attacks, one agitator led chants in Farsi translating to "Death to America" and "Death to Israel," according to a Free Press reporter there.
Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
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