The Attack in Syria and Trump’s Response
President Donald Trump made a strong statement on Saturday following an attack in Syria that resulted in the deaths of two U.S. service members and one American civilian. He declared, “there will be very serious retaliation” against those responsible for the incident. According to Trump, the attack was carried out by the Islamic State group (IS) and targeted U.S. forces in a region that is not fully under Syrian control.
In a social media post, Trump emphasized that the attack was an act of aggression against both the United States and Syria. He also mentioned that Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was “devastated by what happened” and stressed that Syria was collaborating with U.S. troops in the fight against IS. Trump added that al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed by this attack.”
Details of the Attack
The U.S. Central Command reported that three service members were wounded in the ambush, which occurred in central Syria. A lone IS member carried out the attack, and the gunman was killed during the incident. Syrian officials confirmed that the attack also injured members of Syria’s security forces.
This attack marks the first with fatalities since the fall of President Bashar Assad a year ago. Trump reiterated his stance on retaliation, stating, “There will be very serious retaliation,” on his Truth Social platform.
Background on the Victims
Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa expressed her condolences, noting that the two deceased service members were from the Iowa National Guard. She said, “Our Iowa National Guard family is hurting as we mourn the loss of two of our own and pray for the recovery of the three soldiers wounded.”
The Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, identified the civilian killed as a U.S. interpreter. He stated that the attack targeted soldiers involved in counter-terrorism operations in the region and that the incident is under active investigation.
Location and Circumstances of the Attack
According to the state-run SANA news agency, the attack took place near the historic site of Palmyra. The casualties were transported by helicopter to the al-Tanf garrison, located near the border with Iraq and Jordan.
Syria’s Interior Ministry spokesman, Nour al-Din al-Baba, described the attack as a gunman linked to IS opening fire at the gate of a military post. He added that Syrian authorities are investigating whether the attacker was an IS member or simply influenced by its ideology.
Later, al-Baba revealed that the attacker was a member of the Internal Security force in the desert. He noted that the attacker did not hold any command position within the forces nor was he a bodyguard for the force commander.
Al-Baba also mentioned that approximately 5,000 members have joined the Internal Security forces in the desert, with weekly evaluations conducted. He added that an evaluation of the attacker was completed three days prior, which suggested he might have extreme ideology, and a decision was expected on Sunday. However, the attack occurred on a Saturday, which is a day off for state institutions.
U.S. Military Stance
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took to X to issue a warning: “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.”
U.S. officials did not directly address the claim that the gunman was a member of the Syrian security forces. A Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated, “This attack took place in an area where the Syrian President does not have control.”
Broader Context and Implications
The U.S. has hundreds of troops deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting IS. Although the U.S. had no diplomatic relations with Syria under Assad, ties have improved since the fall of the Assad regime. Al-Sharaa recently visited Washington and held talks with Trump, marking the first White House visit by a Syrian head of state since the country gained independence from France in 1946.
Al-Sharaa led the rebel forces that overthrew Bashar Assad in December 2024 and was named the country’s interim leader in January. He previously had ties to al-Qaida and had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head.
Last month, Syria joined the international coalition against IS as Damascus works to improve relations with Western countries following the ouster of Assad. Although IS was defeated on the battlefield in Syria in 2019, sleeper cells continue to carry out deadly attacks in the region. The United Nations estimates that IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
U.S. troops have maintained a presence in different parts of Syria, including the Al-Tanf garrison in the southeast, to train other forces as part of a broader campaign against IS. They have been targeted in the past, with one of the deadliest attacks occurring in 2019 in the northern town of Manbij, where a blast killed two U.S. service members and two American civilians.
Mroue reported from Beirut.