Islamic State Opens Fire on US Soldiers in Syria, Killing Three Americans

The attack refers to the Dec. 13 ambush in Palmyra, Syria, killing 3 Americans. The ISIS link stems from US officials (CENTCOM, Pentagon, Pres. Trump) calling it an ISIS gunman’s attack. Syrian officials say the gunman was a security forces member and are investigating potential ISIS ties.

“There will be very serious retaliation” for what President Trump described as “an ISIS attack against the U.S. and Syria in a very dangerous part of Syria.”

How much did former Al-Qaeda leader, now Syrian President Jolani know and when did he know it?

The US troops who were killed and injured in Saturday’s ambush attack in Syria were members of the Iowa National Guard, a senior US official told Fox News.

An ISIS gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon in the central Syrian town of Palmyra, killing two Iowa National Guard soldiers and an American civilian translator, the official said.

Three additional US soldiers were wounded in the attack.

Preliminary information suggests the attacker was once affiliated with the Syrian government forces and had been a low-level member of the Syrian Security Forces, before later becoming connected to ISIS, the official said. (NY Post)

https://twiter.com/realvaran/status/2000031765629489647?s=20

NEW: President Trump says the U.S. WILL retaliate after the attack on Americans in Syria leaving 3 dead and 3 more injured.

“This was an ISIS attack. On us and Syria. And again, we mourn the loss and we pray for them and their parents and their loved ones.”

“We will retaliate.… https://t.co/J1L9pkTDdu pic.twitter.com/m8x3HUT3n1

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 13, 2025

“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

US Troops, Interpreter Killed by ISIS Gunman in Syria as Trump Vows ‘Serious Retaliation’

By Chris Gordon, Air and Space Forces, Dec. 13, 2025

The U.S. sent Air Force F-16s over central Syria in a show of force following the Dec. 13 killing of two U.S. Army Soldiers and one American civilian interpreter by a gunman linked to the Islamic State group.

President Donald Trump wrote on social media, “There will be very serious retaliation” for what he described as “an ISIS attack against the U.S. and Syria in a very dangerous part of Syria.”

Preliminary information gathered by U.S. officials suggests that the gunman was a former member of Syrian security forces who had been expelled or was in the process of being removed because of his suspected links to ISIS, a U.S. official told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The attack occurred near Palmyra in central Syria. Three American service members were also wounded in the attack, according to U.S. officials. The Soldiers were members of the Iowa National Guard.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees forces in the region, said the attack was the “result of an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman.” The gunman was killed, U.S. officials said.

The attack occurred as Soldiers were conducting a “key leader engagement” as part of America’s counter-ISIS and counter-terrorism efforts in the region, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Videos circulating on social media show F-16s buzzing Palmyra after the attack, and a video shared by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization, shows a U.S. Air Force A-10 dropping flares over the city.

The U.S. troops were conducting a joint patrol with Syrian forces, according to Tom Barrack, America’s Special Envoy for Syria and Syria’s state-run SANA news agency, which said two Syrian security forces were wounded in the attack.

“We mourn the loss of three brave U.S. service members and civilian personnel and wish a speedy recovery to the Syrian troops wounded in the attack,” Barrack wrote on social media. “We remain committed to defeating terrorism with our Syrian partners.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a social media post that the gunman was “killed by partner forces,” an apparent reference to actions taken by Syrian security forces to neutralize the attacker.

“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,” Hegseth wrote.

The U.S. has hundreds of troops deployed in Syria as part of a coalition fighting the Islamic State group, down from around 2,000 a year ago.

Damascus improved its relations with the West following last year’s fall of President Bashar al-Assad by forces led by the current president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, who visited the White House last month.

CENTCOM has been pursuing closer cooperation with the new Syrian government. The attack by the gunman today is seen by some analysts as an attempt to disrupt that relationship.

U.S. troops have been operating in eastern Syria for years, where they trained and assisted primarily Kurdish partner forces as part of the counter-ISIS campaign. The U.S. has also conducted airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria, usually with fighters and drones, and occasionally with bombers.