Rubio says Israel's strike plan triggered US attack on Iran - cbs19news.com

Headline: Winter Weather Advisory until TUE 7:00 AM EST

Bulletin: ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST THIS MORNING... * WHAT...Freezing rain. Additional ice accumulations up to one tenth of an inch, mainly on bridges and other elevated surfaces. The highest amounts will be on the hilltops. * WHERE...Albemarle, Greene, Orange, and Madison Counties. * WHEN...Until 7 AM EST this morning. * IMPACTS...Difficult travel conditions are possible. The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday morning commute. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. Prepare for possible power outages. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. &&

Type: Winter Weather Advisory

Issued for: 2026-03-03T02:19:00-05:00

Ending at: 2026-03-03T07:00:00-05:00

County Name:

State: Virginia

Category: Met

Urgency: Expected

Severity: Moderate

Certainty: Likely

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Headline: Special Weather Statement until TUE 6:00 AM EST

Bulletin: ...AREAS OF FREEZING RAIN OVERNIGHT... * WHAT...Areas of freezing rain and drizzle. A light glaze of ice is possible on mainly elevated surfaces with air temperatures near or slightly below freezing, while roadway temperatures are mostly above freezing. * WHERE...Locations along and east of Interstate 95 as well as Nelson County VA. * WHEN...Spreading northward through 6 AM. Some freezing rain could linger slightly longer near and north of Washington DC. * IMPACTS...Elevated surfaces, walkways, and bridges may be icy in some locations. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling.

Type: Special Weather Statement

Issued for: 2026-03-03T00:19:00-05:00

Ending at: 2026-03-03T06:00:00-05:00

County Name:

State: Virginia

Category: Met

Urgency: Unknown

Severity: Minor

Certainty: Unknown

Weather Alert

Headline: Winter Weather Advisory until TUE 10:00 AM EST

Bulletin: ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS MORNING... * WHAT...Mixed precipitation, primarily freezing rain. Additional ice accumulations up to one tenth of an inch, mainly on bridges and other elevated surfaces. The highest amounts will be on the hilltops. * WHERE...Portions of central Maryland and northern and northwest Virginia. * WHEN...Until 10 AM EST this morning. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday morning commute. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. &&

Type: Winter Weather Advisory

Issued for: 2026-03-03T02:19:00-05:00

Ending at: 2026-03-03T10:00:00-05:00

County Name:

State: Virginia

Category: Met

Urgency: Expected

Severity: Moderate

Certainty: Likely

Weather Alert

Headline: Special Weather Statement until TUE 8:00 AM EST

Bulletin: ...AREAS OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN OR DRIZZLE EARLY THIS MORNING... * WHAT...Areas of freezing rain and drizzle. A light glaze of ice is possible on elevated surfaces with air temperatures right at freezing, while roadway temperatures are above freezing. * WHERE...Locations from Louisa and Fluvanna to Caroline County eastward to portions of the northern Neck and Dorchester County Maryland. * WHEN...Through 8 AM this morning. * IMPACTS...Localized icy spots are possible on elevated surfaces.

The United States attacked Iran only after learning that ally Israel was going to strike and fearing Tehran would retaliate against US forces, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday.

"We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties," Rubio told reporters.

Rubio, who was preparing to brief key US lawmakers, said that Iran had told field commanders to respond automatically against US forces if there was an attack.

"If we stood and waited for that attack to come first before we hit them, we would suffer much higher casualties. And so the president made the very wise decision" to hit alongside Israel, Rubio said.

Asked if the United States faced an imminent threat from Iran -- a key threshold in the United States as Congress constitutionally has the power to declare war -- Rubio again pointed to the Israeli plans.

"There absolutely was an imminent threat, and the imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked -- and we believed they would be attacked -- that they would immediately come after us," Rubio said.

"We were not going to sit there and absorb a blow," Rubio said, adding that if Iran hit US forces first, "we would all be here answering questions about why we knew that and didn't act."

Representative Joaquin Castro, a Democrat, said that Rubio's comments indicated that Israel "put US forces in harm's way by insisting on attack on Iran."

"This is unacceptable of the President, and unacceptable of a country that calls itself our ally," Castro wrote on X.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier said that it was Israel that carried out the strike Saturday in Tehran that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other key officials, after intelligence emerged that they were meeting.

Rubio, however, said that President Donald Trump's administration believed in the need to strike Iran, regardless of how the timing was triggered.

"No matter what, ultimately this operation needed to happen," Rubio said.

Rubio said that the United States would like to see the overthrow of the Iran's clerical state but that that was not the goal.

"We hope that the Iranian people can overthrow this government and establish a new future for that country. We would love for that to be possible," Rubio said.

"But the objective of this mission is the destruction of their ballistic missile capabilities and of their naval capabilities."

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST THIS MORNING... * WHAT...Freezing rain. Additional ice accumulations up to one tenth of an inch, mainly on bridges and other elevated surfaces. The highest amounts will be on the hilltops. * WHERE...Albemarle, Greene, Orange, and Madison Counties. * WHEN...Until 7 AM EST this morning. * IMPACTS...Difficult travel conditions are possible. The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday morning commute. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. Prepare for possible power outages. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. &&