U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the signing ceremony of a “Memorandum of Understanding on Nuclear Cooperation” with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani at the State Department in Washington, DC, July 16, 2025. (Credit: Alex Wroblewski/AFP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday voiced concern after ally Israel struck Syria's army headquarters and said the violence impeded efforts to bring stability to the war-torn country.
"We're talking to both sides, all the relevant sides, on this, and hopefully, we can bring it to a conclusion, but we're very concerned," Rubio said when asked by a reporter about the Israeli strikes.
In fuller comments afterward, Rubio did not directly reference Israel but spoke of the clashes in the majority-Druze city of Sweida that Israel cited for its intervention.
"We are very worried about the violence in southern Syria. It is a direct threat to efforts to help build a peaceful and stable Syria," Rubio said in a statement.
"We have been and remain in repeated and constant talks with the governments of Syria and Israel on this matter."
President Donald Trump has staunchly backed Israel, including in its military campaigns in Gaza and Iran.
But Trump has been prioritizing diplomacy with Syria's new leadership, seeing an opening after Sunni Islamist-led fighters toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.
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