A Secret Service SUV mysteriously burst into flames just steps from the White House on Monday—only hours before President Donald Trump’s high-stakes meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The blaze, which reportedly started in the back seat of the parked vehicle, was quickly blamed on an “electrical issue” by a Secret Service spokesperson.
But the timing—so close to Oval Office talks over the Gaza war—has raised eyebrows.
“We are grateful that no personnel were injured and we appreciate the response from DC Fire and EMS, who assisted in extinguishing the fire. There were no impacts to our protective operations,” the spokesperson said.
The incident comes just weeks after Israel brazenly attempted to assassinate the entire U.S.-backed negotiating team during ceasefire talks in Qatar—a move that sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles and underscored the peril surrounding Trump’s upcoming meeting with Netanyahu.
In 2019, Politico cited three former senior U.S. officials saying that the U.S. government concluded Israel was most likely behind placing cellphone-surveillance devices (so-called “StingRays” or IMSI-catchers) near the White House and other sensitive sites in Washington, D.C.
The exploding Secret Service vehicle comes as Trump prepared for high-stakes Oval Office talks with Netanyahu about ending the war in Gaza.
Trump has struck an optimistic tone about brokering a ceasefire, though White House officials—speaking anonymously—warned the discussions could “go off the rails.”