Two US soldiers and an interpreter were killed in central Syria during a joint mission with Syrian forces near Palmyra, following an attack by Islamic State (ISIS) militants. Three other American soldiers were injured in the assault, which occurred on December 13, according to the Pentagon. The attack took place less than a month after Washington and Damascus signed an agreement to cooperate against ISIS.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the soldiers were meeting local leaders when a gunman opened fire. The assailant, reportedly a member of Syria’s security forces with extremist leanings, was killed at the scene. Syrian state media confirmed that two Syrian security officers were also wounded. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that any group targeting Americans would face “dire consequences.”

President Donald Trump condemned the attack as “horrific” and promised “severe retaliation” via his Truth Social platform, calling the fallen soldiers “great patriots.” The incident risks straining fragile US-Syria cooperation and could prompt expanded counterterrorism operations in the region.