Two US soldiers and a civilian killed in attack in Syria

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Two American soldiers and an American civilian translator were killed in an attack in Syria that wounded three additional American soldiers on Saturday.

The Americans were attacked during a counter-terrorism operation, according to the Pentagon. This is the first death of US service members in Syria since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad a little over a year ago.

“The attack occurred while soldiers were conducting a major engagement with commanders,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on social media on Saturday, referring to a meeting with important local officials.

“Their mission was to support ongoing anti-ISIS and counter-terrorism operations in the region.”

A Pentagon official said that “initial assessments show that the attack was likely carried out by ISIS” in “an area not controlled by the Syrian president.” Parnell said the attack was under investigation.

US President Donald Trump promised “very serious revenge” against ISIS, describing those killed as “three great patriots.”

The Syrian National News Agency reported that two members of the Syrian security forces were also wounded in the attack.

The Pentagon said that the attack occurred in Palmyra in the desert of central Syria. US forces have long been stationed at the nearby Al-Tanf military base, alongside allies of the Free Syrian Army. However, the Syrian Interior Ministry said the attack took place in the desert in the east of the country, where ISIS is known to be active.

US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said the attack was “an ambush by a lone ISIS militant” who was killed.

A Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman told state television that the gunman was a member of the Syrian security forces, had an “extremist ideology” and did not hold a leadership position.

He said that the Syrian security forces warned their international partners of initial reports of expected attacks by ISIS, but “these forces did not respond to the Syrian warnings.”

For years, US forces have been in Syria primarily to fight ISIS. There were approximately 2,000 US troops in Syria in December 2024, but the Pentagon said in April that it would reduce that level to “less than 1,000,” estimating that the terrorist group’s capabilities had deteriorated.

The US military has increased its cooperation with Damascus on ISIS in recent months, and is said to be considering expanding its military presence in Syria by sending troops to an air base in the Syrian capital.

Washington’s main ally in the war against ISIS has been the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia that controls the northeast of the country. Talks aimed at merging the Syrian Democratic Forces and Syrian security forces have faltered, despite pressure from Washington to reach a solution.

Last month, Ahmed Al-Sharaa became the first Syrian president to visit the White House since the country’s independence in 1946.

Al-Shara officially joined the 89-nation coalition to defeat ISIS during his meeting with Trump, who described the Syrian president as a “very strong leader.”

Al-Sharaa sought to court Western and Arab countries, which, at Washington’s request, lifted most of the economic sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad’s rule and established closer relations with the new government.

But sectarian violence has erupted in Syria at times since the fall of Assad, including clashes between government-backed forces and militants from the country’s Alawite and Druze religious minorities, in which hundreds of civilians from both sects have been killed.

After Saturday’s attack, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “Let it be known, if you target Americans — anywhere in the world — you will spend the rest of your short, anxiety-filled life knowing that the United States will hunt you down, find you, and mercilessly kill you.”