Netanyahu Discusses Iranian Needs and Gaza Ceasefire with Rubio

SadaNews: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone on Saturday evening with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a call that reportedly focused on developments in Gaza, Syria, and protests in Iran, with no further details disclosed from the U.S. side.

Iran is witnessing the largest anti-government protests in years, following the war that occurred between Tehran and Israel last year, while the tense situation in Gaza continues. The fragile ceasefire has made no progress since its initial phase began in October, amid mutual accusations between Israel and Hamas regarding violations of the agreement and disagreements over the next phase.

In a related context, Israel and Syria agreed earlier this week during U.S.-mediated talks in Paris to establish a communication mechanism to coordinate security and commercial issues.

For his part, Rubio expressed U.S. support for the Iranian people via the "X" platform, while U.S. President Donald Trump wrote that Iran "yearns for freedom more than ever" and that his country is "ready to provide assistance."

The "New York Times" noted that Trump is seriously considering the possibility of launching a strike on Iran amid reports of a bloody crackdown and internet outages, but he has not made any final decisions yet, with a range of options including targeting non-military sites in Tehran.

This communication between Rubio and Netanyahu is part of a series of meetings between President Trump and the Israeli Prime Minister, as Netanyahu has visited the U.S. five times since Trump took office in January 2025, while Trump visited Israel last October.