Secretary of State Marco Rubio's plane was diverted back to Joint Base Andrews on Thursday night, because of a mechanical issue, according to the State Department.

The secretary was on his way to the Munich Security Conference in Germany when the issue arose, Fox News reported. He has since returned to Washington, D.C., but is expected to continue his trip on a different plane.

Rubio is also expected to visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from February 15-18. 

"The trip [to the Middle East] will center on freeing American and all other hostages from Hamas captivity, advancing to Phase II of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and countering the destabilizing activities of the Iranian regime and its proxies," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Wednesday.

The cause of the plane's mechanical issue has not been disclosed at the time of publishing.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.