Netanyahu says D.C. shooting of embassy staffers shows ‘terrible cost' of antisemitism

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday that he was “shocked” by the “horrific, antisemitic” shooting of two staff members of the Israeli Embassy who were leaving an event at a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C.

“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,” he said in a statement.

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Netanyahu said he has directed security increases for Israeli missions and representatives around the world.

He offered his condolences to the victims, saying, “My heart grieves for the families of the young beloveds, whose lives were cut short in a moment by an abhorrent antisemitic murderer.”

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The Israeli Embassy to the United States has identified the victims of the shooting as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.

Calling them friends and colleagues, the embassy said in a post on X that the two victims were “in the prime of their lives.”

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Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said they were a young couple about to be engaged, saying the man had purchased a ring this week with the intent to propose next week in Jerusalem.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said she was at the scene with former judge Jeanine Pirro, who serves as the U.S. attorney in Washington and whose office would prosecute the case.

The statement from Netanyahu’s office said he spoke to Bondi, who told him President Donald Trump was “involved in managing the incident” and the U.S. would bring the perpetrator to justice.

It was not immediately clear whether the suspect, 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. A telephone number listed in public records rang unanswered.

Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI, wrote in a post on social media that “early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence.”