**Israeli Ambassador Reveals Details on Targeted Attack in Washington**

An attack in Washington, D.C. that claimed the lives of two Israeli diplomats, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, was executed with deliberate intent, Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter stated on Friday. The incident took place late Wednesday night outside the National Museum of American Jewish History.

Ambassador Leiter disclosed that the suspect, Elias Rodriguez, had premeditated the attack. Rodriguez allegedly infiltrated an American Jewish Committee (AJC) event earlier in the evening to gather information about Israeli embassy personnel. After suspicions arose, event organizers asked him to leave. Rodriguez later lay in ambush outside the venue and fatally shot Lischinsky and Milgrim at close range, confirming their deaths afterward.

Leiter noted that local authorities are examining whether the victims were targeted due to their roles as Israeli diplomats, rather than being randomly attacked. Furthermore, the ambassador revealed that Rodriguez's girlfriend had a past arrest for threatening the Israeli consulate in Chicago. Investigators also found that Rodriguez had affiliations with a socialist group exhibiting "Marxist characteristics."

Following the attack, Rodriguez returned to the museum, concealed his firearm in a plant, and mingled with guests. Initially, some attendees mistook him for a witness and even offered him water. It was only when he began loudly confessing, stating, "I did it, I did it," and declaring his actions were "for Gaza, for Palestine," that he was identified as the shooter.

The account, however, was contested by sources from the AJC. They insisted that Rodriguez was not present during the conference and that he only entered the museum premises after the shooting. Although he had registered for the event, he was denied entry following a background check and only spoke with attendees post-incident. These discrepancies have left lingering questions about how Rodriguez managed to gain access to the event site despite being barred earlier.

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his shock regarding the attack in a communication with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, assuring him that he was personally overseeing the investigation.