Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday his country's alliance with the United States was as "strong and as durable as the stones of the Western Wall."

He made the comments as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee toured the Western Wall and the excavated tunnels near it.

Rubio was in Israel as its military intensified attacks on northern Gaza, flattening multiple high-rise buildings and killing at least 13 Palestinians.

Rubio's visit went ahead despite President Donald Trump’s anger at Netanyahu over the Israeli strike in Doha, which he said the United States was not notified of beforehand.

Rubio said ahead of the trip that he will be seeking answers from Israeli officials about how they see the way forward in Gaza following Israel’s attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar last week that upended efforts to broker an end to the conflict.

His two-day visit is also a show of support for the increasingly isolated Israel as the United Nations holds what is expected to be a contentious debate next week on commitment to the creation of a Palestinian state.

Netanyahu strongly opposes the recognition of a Palestinian state.