US Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to give a clear answer when questioned by Democratic lawmaker Joaquin Castro about whether Israel possesses nuclear weapons, highlighting a long-standing taboo in American politics.

'Most of the world assesses that they do,' Rubio said during a House hearing on Wednesday, but he declined to share Washington's official position, suggesting the matter be discussed in a classified setting.

Castro pressed Rubio, arguing that the answer is crucial as the US is jointly at war with Israel against Iran. 'If they, in fact, possess nuclear weapons... we don't know what their red lines are for using those nuclear weapons,' Castro said.

Rubio acknowledged that avoiding public discussion of Israel's nuclear program is a 'feature' of US foreign policy, but called the question 'fair' and offered to provide a more 'fulsome answer' in a different context.

Israel, whose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza, is widely believed to have a nuclear arsenal. It is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

On February 28, the Trump administration joined Israel in attacking Iran, ostensibly to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, which Iran denies seeking.

Although Israel has never officially confirmed having nuclear weapons, some officials have floated their use. In November 2023, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu suggested dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza was 'an option'.

Several pro-Israel US politicians have also urged Israel to use nuclear weapons against Palestinians. Congressman Randy Fine, a Trump ally, said last year: 'We nuked the Japanese twice... That needs to be the same here.'

In May, Castro sent a letter to the State Department signed by 30 lawmakers seeking clarifications about Israel's nuclear program and the US policy of silence, arguing it hinders coherent nonproliferation policy in the Middle East.

Source: www.aljazeera.com