Image: from Rojava Information Center X@RojavaIC
WASHINGTON D.C. / PALMYRA, Syria — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday vowed “big damage” and “very serious retaliation” against those responsible for an Islamic State (ISIS/Daesh) ambush in Syria that killed two American service members and one U.S. civilian interpreter.
The attack, which U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed was carried out by a lone ISIS gunman, occurred Saturday near the historic city of Palmyra in central Syria. In addition to the three Americans killed, three other U.S. service members and two Syrian security personnel were injured during the attack. CENTCOM confirmed the gunman was engaged and killed at the scene.
“I can tell you, in Syria, there will be a lot of big damage done to the people that did it,” President Trump told reporters. “They got the person… but there’ll be big damage done.”
The casualties mark a tragic setback for the international anti-ISIS coalition, which the U.S. has led since 2014. The attack reportedly occurred during a joint U.S.-Syrian government patrol or a “key leader engagement” in the Homs province countryside, a region where ISIS cells and remnants continue to operate despite the group’s 2019 territorial defeat.
The civilian interpreter killed was identified as a U.S. citizen, with the identities of the two fallen troops being withheld pending family notification.
Syria, which officially joined the anti-ISIS coalition on November 12, has seen warming ties with the U.S. since the departure of former President Bashar al-Assad last year. President Trump noted that Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed by this attack,” underscoring the nature of the partnership against the common terrorist threat.
Following the ambush, Syrian authorities immediately launched a security operation against ISIS cells across the Homs province countryside.
However, the incident has raised internal security concerns for the Syrian government, as media reports indicated the lone gunman was potentially a member of the Syrian security forces who had been infiltrated or radicalized by ISIS ideology. Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine el-Baba acknowledged that an evaluation had been issued just days prior, indicating the attacker “might hold extremist ideas,” though the decision regarding his status was pending. U.S. officials, while confirming the ISIS attribution, have not directly commented on the attacker’s alleged affiliation with Syrian forces.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a stern warning on X, asserting, “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 attack highlights the persistent danger facing the approximately 1,000 U.S. troops remaining in Syria and puts pressure on the administration to demonstrate the effectiveness of its ongoing counter-terrorism operations.