IRIA News

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U.S. President Donald Trump vowed retaliation after two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in central Syria on December 13, 2025, in an attack that U.S. officials blamed on the Islamic State militant group.

Three other U.S. service members were also wounded in the attack, U.S. Central Command and the Department of War said. The identities of the Americans killed are being withheld for 24 hours until next of kin are notified, U.S. officials said.

The attack occurred in the Palmyra area and was carried out by a single Islamic State gunman who was later killed. Syria’s state news agency said two members of the Syrian security forces were also wounded in the incident.

Syrian officials said the attack occurred during a joint U.S.-Syrian visit to the Palmyra area. A Syrian defense ministry official said U.S. forces arrived by land from the direction of the Al-Tanf military base and toured the city before proceeding to the T-4 airbase, later returning to a base in Palmyra.

A Syrian military official said shots were fired “during a meeting between Syrian and American officers” at a Syrian base. The interior ministry said the assailant opened fire at the gate of a fortified command facility belonging to Syria’s internal security forces.

“We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter. Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well. This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous… pic.twitter.com/uK3t5dlMfL

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 13, 2025

Syrian state media said the attacker exchanged fire with Syrian and coalition guards before being killed. U.S. officials said partner forces engaged and killed the gunman.

Ambush During Joint Engagement in Palmyr

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the U.S. personnel were “conducting a key leader engagement” in support of counter-terrorism operations when the ambush took place. A Pentagon official said the attack occurred “in an area where the Syrian president does not have control.”

U.S. Central Command said the incident was “the result of an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman.” In contrast, a Pentagon official said initial assessments indicated the attack was “likely” carried out by the Islamic State group.

No group has claimed responsibility, and the identity of the attacker has not been publicly released by U.S. authorities.

Conflicting Accounts Over Attacker’s Identity

Syria’s interior ministry said on Sunday that the gunman was a member of the country’s security forces who was due to be dismissed for extremist views. Interior ministry spokesman Noureddine Al Baba said authorities had decided to fire the individual for holding “extremist Islamist ideas” and planned to do so on Sunday, one day after the attack.

A Syrian security official said the attacker had served in the security forces for more than 10 months and had been posted to several cities before being transferred to Palmyra. The official added that 11 members of the general security forces were arrested for questioning following the incident.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces.

U.S. and Syrian authorities said investigations into the attack are continuing. Traffic was temporarily halted on the highway between Deir Ezzor and Damascus, and U.S. aircraft were seen operating over the area as wounded personnel were evacuated to the Al-Tanf base. The Islamic State has not publicly claimed responsibility for the attack.

US Response and Warnings of Retaliation

U.S. President Donald Trump described the incident as “an ISIS attack” and said there would be very serious retaliation. “We will retaliate,” Trump told reporters at the White House. He said the country was mourning “the loss of the three great American patriots” and added that the wounded service members “seem to be doing pretty well.”

In a social media post, Trump said the attack occurred “in a very dangerous part of Syria,” adding that Syria’s president was “extremely angry and disturbed by this attack.”

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the attacker had been killed and issued a warning in a post on X: “Let it be known, if you target Americans, anywhere in the world, you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you.”

The savage who perpetrated this attack was killed by partner forces.

Let it be known, if you target Americans — anywhere in the world — you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you. https://t.co/P7D9NrWpAL

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) December 13, 2025

National Guard Casualties

Officials said the two U.S. soldiers killed were members of the Iowa National Guard. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said the names would be released after notification of families and confirmed that three additional Guard members were wounded, two of whom were evacuated to a medical facility.

“Our hearts are heavy today, and our prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of our soldiers killed in action,” Reynolds said.

About 1,800 Iowa Army National Guard soldiers began deploying to the Middle East in late May in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S. mission to defeat the Islamic State.


Syrian Condemnation and Security Measures

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani condemned the attack and offered condolences to the families of the victims.

“We extend our condolences to the victims’ families and to the U.S. government and people, and we wish the wounded a speedy recovery,” he wrote.

Syrian authorities said they had issued prior intelligence warnings to allied forces about possible Islamic State activity in the desert region. Interior ministry officials said the U.S.-led coalition did not act on warnings of a possible infiltration.

Following the attack, Syrian authorities launched operations against Islamic State cells across Homs province, where Palmyra is located, state television reported.

US-Syrian Cooperation Against Islamic State

U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack condemned what he described as a “cowardly terrorist ambush” targeting a joint patrol.

“We remain committed to defeating terrorism with our Syrian partners,” he said, adding later that the attack “reinforces” the U.S. strategy to enable Syrian partners, with limited U.S. operational support, to dismantle Islamic State networks and prevent their resurgence.

Last month, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met President Trump at the White House in a visit described by Damascus as marking a new phase in relations. Syria recently joined the US-led international coalition to combat the Islamic State and pledged closer cooperation with Washington. The coalition was formed in 2014 to counter the group’s expansion across Syria and Iraq.

Islamic State Presence and U.S. Military Role

Islamic State seized large areas of Syrian and Iraqi territory in 2014 before being territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 by a US-backed alliance. The United Nations estimates the group still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters across Syria and Iraq, with a presence concentrated in desert regions.

US forces have been deployed in Syria since 2015 to support counter-ISIS operations. American troops operate primarily in the Kurdish-controlled northeast and at the Al-Tanf garrison near the border with Jordan.

Saturday’s ambush is the deadliest attack on U.S. personnel in Syria since a 2019 bombing in Manbij that killed two U.S. service members and two U.S. civilians.