The US President, Donald Trump, has pledged retaliation for 3 Americans killed in an attack in Syria.
The US military held the Islamic State (ISIS) responsible for the attack, saying that the gunman was killed in the attack.
US Retaliation
In a post on Truth Social, Trump mourned the victims, blaming ISIS for the attack. “This was an ISIS attack against the US, and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them,” Trump wrote, vowing “very serious retaliation.”
Earlier on Saturday, Trump told reporters that Syria was fighting alongside US troops, adding that Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa was “devastated by what happened.”
The US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, announced that the attacker was killed, vowing revenge. “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,” he wrote on X.
Palmyra Attack
On Saturday, a shooting targeted a joint patrol of Syrian security forces and US forces during a field tour in Palmyra city in central Syria, according to SANA news agency.
The spokesperson for Syria’s Interior Ministry, Nour al-Din al-Baba, said that an ISIS-linked gunman opened fire at the gate of a military post. Later, he revealed that the attacker was a member of the Internal Security force in the desert, emphasizing that he “did not have any command post” within the forces nor was he an escort to the force’s commander.
The Syrian official added that around 5,000 members have joined the Internal Security forces in the desert and that they undergo a weekly evaluation. The attacker’s evaluation indicated he might have extremist views and a decision on his status was due on Sunday, al-Baba noted.
“Internal Security Command had issued prior warnings to partner forces in the international coalition based on preliminary information suggesting a possible breach or attack by ISIS, but these warnings were not taken into consideration,” he told Syrian Al-Ikhbariyah TV.
US Casualties
The attack in Syria killed two American service members and one civilian interpreter. It also injured three soldiers. The soldiers were members of the Iowa National Guard, according to the Associated Press (AP).
“Our Iowa National Guard family is hurting as we mourn the loss of two of our own and pray for the recovery of the three soldiers wounded,” Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa said.
Moreover, the office of Iowa Governor, Kim Reynolds, issued a statement mourning the victims, adding that around 1,800 Iowa Army National Guard soldiers started deploying to the Middle East in late May as part of the US mission to defeat ISIS.
This was confirmed by the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, Sean Parnell, who said that the soldiers’ mission “was in support of on-going counter-ISIS / counter-terrorism operations in the region.” He added that the attack was under investigation.
Syrian Condemnation
Syria, for its part, condemned the attack and extended condolences to the families of the victims and the US. “Syria strongly condemns the terrorist attack that targeted a joint Syrian US counterterrorism patrol near Palmyra,” the Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, wrote on X.
The US has maintained presence across various parts of Syria, including Al-Tanf garrison in the southeast, to train other forces as part of the wider campaign to fight ISIS.
Saturday’s attack marked the deadliest against American personnel since 2019, when a blast targeted a patrol in the northern town of Manbij, killing two US soldiers and two US civilians.
