BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
President Donald Trump warned Saturday that the United States would respond with “very serious retaliation” after an attack in central Syria killed two U.S. service members and an American civilian, an assault Washington has attributed to the Islamic State group and described as a direct strike on U.S. forces operating in the region.
“This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria that is not fully controlled by them,” Trump said in a message posted on social media, underscoring the volatility of the area where American and Syrian forces have been conducting joint counterterrorism operations.
Speaking later to reporters at the White House, Trump said Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was “devastated by what happened” and emphasized that Syrian forces have been fighting alongside U.S. troops against extremist groups. Trump added that al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed by this attack,” signaling close coordination between Washington and Damascus as both governments confront the lingering threat posed by Islamic State cells.
U.S. Central Command said the attack occurred Saturday when a lone Islamic State militant ambushed U.S. personnel in central Syria. In addition to the three fatalities, three U.S. service members were wounded. Trump said the injured troops “seem to be doing pretty well,” and the U.S. military confirmed that the attacker was killed during the incident.
The assault marked the first deadly attack on U.S. forces in Syria since the fall of former President Bashar Assad roughly a year ago, a period during which the security landscape has remained fragile despite political change in Damascus.
“There will be very serious retaliation,” Trump said, reiterating the warning in a post on his Truth Social platform as U.S. officials made clear that the attack would not go unanswered.
The Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, said the American civilian killed in the ambush was a U.S. interpreter working with military forces. He said the attack targeted personnel involved in ongoing counterterrorism missions and that a full investigation was underway to determine the precise circumstances and any potential security lapses.
The shooting took place near the ancient city of Palmyra, according to Syrian state media, a region that has long been contested and remains vulnerable to insurgent activity. Wounded personnel were evacuated by helicopter to the al-Tanf garrison, a key U.S. base near the borders with Iraq and Jordan that has played a central role in operations against the Islamic State.
Conflicting accounts emerged about the attacker’s identity. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the gunman was a member of Syria’s security forces, raising questions about infiltration or insider threats. Syrian officials rejected that claim.
Interior Ministry spokesman Nour al-Din al-Baba said the attacker was linked to the Islamic State and opened fire at the gate of a military post. He said authorities were investigating whether the gunman was an active IS member or an individual inspired by the group’s ideology, and firmly denied reports that the assailant was part of Syria’s security services.
The attack drew swift and forceful rhetoric from senior U.S. officials. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a message posted online that anyone who targets Americans would face relentless pursuit. “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.
The United States maintains several hundred troops in eastern and central Syria as part of a coalition formed to defeat the Islamic State. While the group lost its territorial stronghold in Syria in 2019, it has continued to operate through sleeper cells capable of launching deadly attacks. United Nations estimates suggest the group still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters spread across Syria and Iraq.
U.S. troops have long been a target. One of the deadliest incidents occurred in 2019 in the northern town of Manbij, when an explosion during a patrol killed two U.S. service members and two American civilians, along with several Syrians.
Relations between Washington and Damascus have shifted dramatically over the past year. Under Assad, the United States had no diplomatic relations with Syria and imposed sweeping sanctions. Those ties have warmed since Assad’s ouster and the rise of al-Sharaa, who led rebel forces that captured Damascus in December 2024 and was named interim president the following month.
Al-Sharaa made a historic visit to Washington last month, becoming the first Syrian head of state to visit the White House since Syria gained independence from France in 1946. The visit followed a U.S. decision to lift sanctions imposed during decades of Assad family rule. Al-Sharaa’s ascent has been closely watched given his past ties to al-Qaida and the fact that he was once the subject of a $10 million U.S. bounty.
In another sign of shifting alliances, Syria last month formally joined the international coalition fighting the Islamic State, aligning itself with Western countries as it seeks to stabilize the country and rebuild after years of war.
Saturday’s attack, however, served as a stark reminder that despite battlefield defeats and political change, the Islamic State remains capable of striking high-profile targets. As Washington weighs its response, U.S. officials have made clear that protecting American forces and dismantling remaining extremist networks in Syria will remain a central priority.
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