An ambush by the Islamic State group in central Syria on Saturday resulted in the deaths of two US army soldiers and one American civilian interpreter, with several others wounded. The attack, which occurred in Palmyra, marks the first instance of US casualties since the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad a year ago. Following the incident, President Donald Trump expressed his condolences, stating, "We mourn the loss of three great patriots in Syria," and confirmed that three other US personnel were wounded but "seem to be doing pretty well." Trump explicitly attributed the attack to ISIS, declaring, "This was an Isis attack on us and Syria. We will retaliate."

According to the Pentagon's chief spokesperson, Sean Parnell, the attack took place "as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement" in support of ongoing counter-ISIS and counter-terrorism operations in the region. The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, later confirmed on social media that the attacker "was killed by partner forces." Central Command also posted on X that the identities of the deceased service members would be withheld for 24 hours to respect their families and comply with defense department policy.

Earlier reports from Syria's state media and a war monitor indicated that Syrian and US forces came under fire during a visit by American troops to the historic town of Palmyra. The state-run Sana news agency reported that two members of Syria’s security force and several US service members were wounded, subsequently evacuated by helicopters to the al-Tanf garrison near the Iraq and Jordan border. Sana also confirmed the attacker's death without providing further details.

Nour al-Din al-Baba, spokesperson for Syria’s interior ministry, stated that a gunman linked to Islamic State opened fire at a military post's gate. He clarified that Syrian authorities are investigating whether the gunman was an official Islamic State member or merely espoused its extreme ideology, while denying a report from the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that suggested the attacker was a security member. This information highlights conflicting accounts regarding the attacker's affiliation.

The United States maintains a presence of hundreds of troops in eastern Syria as part of an international coalition combating the Islamic State. Last month, Syria joined this international coalition, signifying an improvement in Damascus's relations with Western countries following Assad's ouster. The US, which previously had no diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad, has seen warming relations, exemplified by interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa's historic visit to Washington for talks with Donald Trump.

Despite the Islamic State's territorial defeat in Syria in 2019, the group's sleeper cells continue to orchestrate deadly attacks. The United Nations estimates that ISIS still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters across Syria and Iraq. US troops, stationed in various parts of Syria, including the al-Tanf garrison in Homs province, to train other forces as part of the broader anti-ISIS campaign, have been targeted previously. A notable past incident includes a 2019 blast in Manbij, which killed two US service members, two American civilians, and several Syrians during a patrol.