Joaquin Castro Presses Marco Rubio on Israel’s Nuclear Arsenal and Lebanon Conflict

Amid rocky military negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio returned to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to face more questioning from lawmakers on Israel’s nuclear capabilities and military operations in Lebanon.

A day before Rubio’s appearance, Israeli drones struck southern Lebanon, causing Iran to threaten to stop all negotiations with the United States. President Donald Trump angrily pushed back against this military decision in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him “F-cking crazy” and stopping Israel’s plan to bomb Hezbollah targets in Beirut.

During Rubio’s second day of questioning, Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX) said he now worries Israel’s war against Hezbollah will jeopardize any efforts by the administration to reach a deal with Iran. Rubio said the reality is more complex.

“It’s an ongoing challenge,” Rubio said. “One of the reasons we are engaged in these talks between Lebanon and Israel is understanding that Hezbollah is not just an enemy of Israel. It is an enemy of the Lebanese government.”

Although the U.S. seems to be aiding in diplomatic conversations between Israel and Lebanon, Rep. Castro said the administration has not been transparent on what it knows about Israel’s nuclear weapons.

“Congress needs to understand the full risks of the conflict, including the nuclear risks,” Rep. Castro said.

This is not the first time Rep. Castro has made this request. In early May, he led a group of 30 lawmakers calling on Rubio for answers. On June 1, the Bureau of Legislative Affairs recommended the group refer to “the government of Israel for your questions about Israel's capabilities.”

“I have to say, Mr. Secretary, that’s a very bizarre response,” he told Rubio during the hearing.

Rep. Castro stressed that, without knowing Israel’s nuclear capabilities, Congress can’t fully assess where the ally’s “red lines,” or restrictions, for using nuclear weapons are.

“I'm shocked that our government wouldn't make an effort to know, to understand, and then to give our oversight body the information that we need to make decisions about the war, as well,” he said.

According to Rubio, Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons has only been confirmed through open-source reporting. But without Israel’s public acknowledgement, the U.S. won’t confirm it to Congress or the American people as a “feature of our foreign policy,” he said.

“If we're speaking frankly, I think most of the world assesses that they do,” Rubio said.

Rubio told Rep. Castro that he would likely get more direct answers in a more classified setting.

“You would get a better response to your question if the context in which it was answered were framed differently than a public letter,” Rubio said. “These things require delicate balancing acts between different equities.”