A Democratic lawmaker pressed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on whether Israel possesses nuclear weapons, but Rubio offered no clear answer.
“Most of the world assesses that they do,” Rubio told Representative Joaquin Castro at Wednesday’s hearing, yet he declined to disclose Washington’s view of Israel’s nuclear program, suggesting the matter be discussed behind closed doors.
The exchange highlighted a decades-old taboo in US politics: not publicly discussing Israel's nuclear program. Rubio acknowledged that the restraint in debating Israel's nuclear weapons is a “distinctive feature” of US foreign policy.
However, Castro insisted that answering the question is necessary as the US is engaged in a joint war with Israel against Iran. “If they truly possess nuclear weapons, we do not know what their red lines are for using those weapons,” Castro said. “I am shocked that our government is not trying to find out and provide the necessary information so we can make decisions about the war.”
Rubio called the question “fair” and said he would be willing to answer it in a classified setting. “These issues require a delicate balance among different interests, but I think you can get a more complete answer if we can respond in a different context,” he said.
Israel, whose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Gaza, is widely believed to possess a nuclear arsenal. The US ally has been accused of genocide in Gaza by leading human rights groups and UN investigators, yet still receives billions of dollars in annual US military aid.
Israel is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). On February 28, the administration of US President Donald Trump joined Israel in striking Iran, with the stated goal of preventing it from developing nuclear weapons — a claim Tehran denies.
Although Israel has never formally confirmed possession of nuclear weapons, some Israeli officials have alluded to their use. In November 2023, Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu suggested that dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza is “an option.” Some pro-Israel politicians in the US have also called for Israel to use nuclear weapons against Palestinians.
Earlier, in May, Representative Castro sent a letter to the US State Department signed by 30 lawmakers, demanding clarity on Israel’s nuclear program and the US policy of silence. The letter stated: “We cannot build a coherent nonproliferation policy for the Middle East while maintaining an official policy of silence on the nuclear capabilities of a central party in a conflict in which the US is directly involved.”
