Trump vows “we will retaliate” after 2 U.S. soldiers and civilian killed in attack on U.S.-Syrian patrol in Syria

Two U.S. Army soldiers and an American civilian who served as an interpreter were killed Saturday after shots were fired at U.S. and Syrian forces on a mission in a historic town in central Syria, U.S. military officials said. President Trump said Sunday there would be “very serious retaliation” after the attack, which he blamed on Islamic State.

“This is an attack by ISIS on the United States and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, which is not completely controlled by them,” Mr. Trump said in an article on Truth Social on Saturday. “Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious reprisals.”

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in an article on X that the attack occurred while soldiers were conducting a “key engagement with leadership.” He said three other soldiers were injured in the incident.

“Their mission was to support ongoing counter-terrorism and counter-ISIS operations in the region,” he said, adding that the soldiers’ names, as well as identifying information about their units, will be withheld for up to 24 hours after notification of next of kin. “This attack is currently under active investigation.”

US Central Command said the attack was the “result of an ambush by an ISIS sniper in Syria” and that “the shooter was engaged and killed.”

The shooting took place near Palmyra, according to the official Syrian news agency SANA, which said two members of the Syrian security forces were injured. No additional information on their condition was immediately available.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and the identity of the shooter has not been released.

Mr. Trump, speaking to reporters outside the White House before leaving for the Army-Navy football game in Baltimore, said the three injured service members “appear to be doing well.”

“We mourn the loss of three great patriots in Syria,” he said, adding: “Syria was fighting alongside us. The Syrian president is devastated. This is an attack by ISIS. We mourn this loss. We pray for their parents and loved ones.”

Asked whether the United States would respond if its forces were attacked again, Mr. Trump replied: “We will fight back.”

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an X post on Saturday that the “savage who carried out this attack was killed by partner forces.”

“Let it be known, if you target Americans – anywhere in the world – you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing that the United States will mercilessly pursue, find and kill you,” he wrote.

Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria, condemned the “cowardly terrorist ambush” against X.

“We mourn the loss of three courageous American military and civilian personnel and wish a speedy recovery to the Syrian troops injured in the attack,” Barrack wrote. “We remain committed to defeating terrorism with our Syrian partners.”

The United States has deployed hundreds of troops to eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

Last month, Syria joined the international coalition fighting IS as Damascus improved relations with Western countries after the president’s fall last year. Bashar al-Assad when insurgents took his seat of power in Damascus.

The United States did not have diplomatic relations with Syria under Assad, but ties have warmed since the fall of the five-decade Assad family regime. Acting President Ahmad al-Sharaa made a historical visit in Washington last month, where he spoke with President Trump.

ISIS was defeated in Syria in 2019, but the group’s sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks in the country. The United Nations says the group still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.

US troops, who have maintained a presence in different parts of Syria – including the Al-Tanf garrison in the central province of Homs – to train other forces as part of a broader campaign against IS, have been targeted in the past. One of the deadliest attacks occurred in 2019 in the northern town of Manbij, when an explosion killed two U.S. service members and two U.S. civilians, along with other Syrians, while they were on patrol.