U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Israel and Arab states in mid-February, a State Department official said, making his first trip to the Middle East after a widely condemned proposal by President Donald Trump to displace Palestinians in Gaza.

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will pay his first visit to the Middle East this month, a senior State Department official said Thursday, in the wake of President Donald Trump's remarks on relocating Gaza's population.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is planning to visit the Middle East in mid-February, two Israeli officials and two source with knowledge told Axios. Why it matters: It would be Rubio's first trip to the region since he assumed office and come amid the uproar President Trump's "Gaza takeover" plan created in the Middle East.