The United States military has announced that two American soldiers and one American civilian interpreter were killed in Syria during an ambush carried out by a lone Islamic State (ISIS) attacker.
Officials said three additional US service members were wounded in the attack, during which the assailant was “engaged and killed,” according to reports cited by the BBC.
The identities of those killed are being withheld for 24 hours until their families are notified, the US Central Command said.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued a strong statement following the attack, saying:
“Let it be known: if you target Americans—anywhere in the world—you will spend the remainder of your short and anxiety-filled life knowing that the United States will hunt you down, find you, and kill you without mercy.”
The ambush took place in Palmyra, located in central Syria, according to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
A Pentagon official stated that the attack occurred in an area not under the control of the Syrian president, adding that preliminary assessments strongly suggest the operation was carried out by ISIS.
Syria recently joined an international coalition aimed at combating ISIS and has pledged to cooperate with the United States. Last month, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with former US President Donald Trump at the White House, a visit al-Sharaa described as marking a “new era” in relations between the two countries.
The global coalition continues efforts to eliminate remaining ISIS elements and prevent the movement of foreign fighters into the Middle East.
