An attack carried out by the Islamic State (ISIS) killed two American soldiers and an American civilian (identified as an interpreter) on Saturday, December 13, in the Palmyra desert region of Syria. The U.S. Central Command (Centcom) confirmed the incident, describing it as an ISIS " ambush by a lone gunman ."

Three other U.S. service members were wounded in the attack. CENTCOM confirmed that the gunman, who was targeting the delegation during a mission supporting counterterrorism operations, was killed . Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed the loss of the civilian interpreter on X (formerly Twitter).

Reactions and investigation

The identities of the victims and their units are not being released immediately, pending notification of their families. Sean Parnell indicated that the attack is " currently under investigation ."

The American authorities reacted firmly:

1. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the attacker a "savage" and issued a stark warning against anyone who would target Americans.
2. President Donald Trump promised retaliation: "We will retaliate," he told reporters. He also reported via Truth Social that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was "extremely angry and troubled" by the attack.

Syrian context and accusations

According to the official Syrian news agency SANA, the American delegation was visiting the Palmyra area. The delegation was there for a "mission to support ongoing operations against ISIS/counterterrorism in the region," confirmed spokesman Parnell.

The attack also wounded two Syrian security forces who were accompanying the "joint delegation," according to Sana. An anonymous Syrian military official stated that the shooting occurred during a meeting between Syrian and American officers at a security checkpoint in Palmyra. Helicopters evacuated the wounded to the American base at Al-Tanf.

Damascus has sharply criticized the US-led international coalition , accusing it of ignoring prior warnings about the risk of ISIS infiltration in the region. Anwar al-Baba, spokesman for the Syrian Interior Ministry, stated that "the international coalition forces did not take into account Syrian warnings about a possible ISIS breakthrough."

Political implications

This incident comes amid a recent rapprochement between the United States and Syria, following the visit of Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa to Washington last month, which signaled Damascus's commitment to the international anti-jihadist coalition. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) suggests that the American presence in Palmyra is part of a strategy to expand their presence in the Syrian desert.

Although ISIS was territorially defeated in 2019, its fighters have continued to carry out sporadic attacks since their retreat into the vast desert. Syria has "strongly" condemned this "terrorist attack," which is the first such incident reported since the Islamist coalition seized power a year ago.