A man is in critical condition after reportedly setting himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, Sunday afternoon.
Unconfirmed reports indicated that the man identified himself as a US Air Force member and yelled “Free Palestine” repeatedly after dousing himself in liquid and setting himself alight.
A photograph making the rounds on social media purportedly showed the man dressed in military fatigues standing just outside the embassy gate.
The Air Force said it could not verify claims that the man was an active duty servicemember.
The Metropolitan Police Department and DC Fire and EMS also declined to comment on the report.
First responders were dispatched to the scene about 1 p.m., a Fire and EMS spokesperson told The Post.
By the time first responders arrived, the flames had already been extinguished by members of the US Secret Service, the fire service added.
The man was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The Israeli Embassy did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for a comment on the incident.
No embassy staff were injured during the fire, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, according to GLZ Radio.
The man was not known to the embassy before the incident, the statement added.
The man was still alive in critical condition as of 3 p.m. Sunday, according to MPD.
The Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating alongside MPD.
Earlier footage showed more fire trucks and a hazmat crew arriving at the scene to inspect the man’s car, freelance reporter Andrew Leyden shared on X.
The vehicle appeared to be a silver Prius, according to video footage from Alexis Wainwright of WUSA9.
The car was later cleared and authorities determined there was no active threat, the MPD spokesperson said.
Hours after the incident, there still appeared to be a charred spot on the pavement outside the embassy, FOX5 reported David Kaplan shared on X.
The incident comes after months of political tensions over Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack and Israel’s subsequent ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the controversial assault on the southern city of Rafah, saying it “has to be done” for a “total victory.”
Rafah is now the most densely populated Gazan city after Palestinians in the north were forced to flee the Israeli military’s assault on the north.