The assault on Wednesday resulting in the deaths of two employees from the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. adds to the ongoing series of attacks on Israeli establishments globally.
The individuals killed, who were on the cusp of engagement, have been named as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. Their deaths occurred outside the Capital Jewish Museum, following which the alleged gunman shouted, “Free, free Palestine!” before being detained by security personnel.
This incident arises in the context of significantly heightened tensions regarding Israel’s activities in the Gaza Strip this week, amid increasing humanitarian issues. However, this isn’t the first instance since the war erupted following the destructive Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel, that its embassy in D.C. has been targeted.
Since 1969, there have been at least 31 terror attacks targeting Israeli embassies and diplomatic staff across the globe. Here is a breakdown of some of the biggest incidents tracked by the Israeli government.
Sarah Lynn Milgrim, left, and Yaron Lischinsky, were about to be engaged. (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
On June 4, 1982, Israeli Ambassador to the UK, Shlomo Argov, was seriously wounded after he was shot in the head when leaving a diplomatic event in the center of London. Three perpetrators were apprehended and sentenced to up to 35 years in prison.
An assassination attempt was carried out on Israeli Ambassador Ephraim Eldar in Lisbon, Portugal on November 13, 1979. While the ambassador was wounded along with his chauffeur and a local policeman, a guard at the embassy was killed.
On December 28, 1972, the Israeli embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, was taken over by four terrorists and six embassy personnel were taken hostage. They were released a reported 19 hours later.
Crime Scene Attempted Assassination of Shlomo Argov, the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, Thursday 3rd June 1982; crime scene where Shlomo Argov was shot in the head as he got into his car after a banquet at the Dorchester Hotel, in Park Lane, London. Argov was not killed, but he was critically injured. (Bunny Atkins/Mirropix/Getty Images)
Yosef Alon, Israeli air force attaché to the embassy in Washington, D.C. was shot to death outside his home on July 1, 1973. The murder was believed to be in retaliation for Israel’s killing of the leader of a terrorist group known as Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The Israeli Consul-General, Efraim Elrom, was assassinated in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 28, 1971, by the Turkish Liberation Army.
Two armed Palestinians broke into the Israeli Consulate in Asuncion, Paraguay, on May 4, 1970, and opened fire. An Israeli secretary, Edna Pe’er, was killed in the attack while a local worker was also injured.
On September 8, 1969, what appeared to be a coordinated bombing campaign targeted two Israeli embassies in the Hague in the Netherlands and in Bonn, Germany, as well as Israel’s El Al airline in Brussels in an attack that occurred within minutes of each other.
Though no injuries were reported during the embassy attacks, three El Al employees and a customer were injured in the Brussels bombing.
