Payam Javan: On Wednesday evening, two Israeli Embassy staff members, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., as they left an event. The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, was detained by event security after pacing outside the museum and opening fire on a group of four. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith reported that Rodriguez chanted “Free, free Palestine” upon arrest, though authorities do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the community. The attack, described as antisemitic by Israeli officials, has prompted heightened security at Israeli missions amid escalating tensions tied to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the “horrific, anti-Semitic” shooting, while U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi, vowed to bring the perpetrator to justice. The victims, a young couple reportedly on the verge of engagement, were mourned by the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Witnesses described a chaotic scene where the suspect, initially mistaken for a distressed bystander, displayed a red keffiyeh and shouted pro-Palestinian slogans. The shooting, which occurred after an event focused on humanitarian aid, has been labeled a targeted act of violence by the FBI.