WASHINGTON D.C Dec 14, 2025 – President Donald Trump pledged “very serious retaliation” on Saturday following a deadly ambush in central Syria that claimed the lives of two U.S. Army soldiers and one American civilian interpreter, marking the first U.S. fatalities in the country since the fall of Bashar al-Assad a year ago.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House before departing for the Army-Navy football game, Trump mourned the victims as “three great patriots” and expressed prayers for their families. “We mourn the loss of three great patriots in Syria… we pray for them, and their parents, and their loved ones… We will retaliate,” he stated.
The attack, blamed on a lone Islamic State (ISIS) gunman, occurred near the historic city of Palmyra during a joint patrol or “key leader engagement” with Syrian security forces. U.S. Central Command confirmed that three additional U.S. service members were wounded but are recovering. The gunman was killed by partner forces on the scene.
Trump emphasized cooperation with Syria’s new leadership, noting that interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa was “devastated,” “extremely angry,” and “disturbed” by the incident. “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 posted on Truth Social. “Syria, by the way, was fighting along with us.”
The incident underscores ongoing counter-ISIS operations in Syria, where approximately 900 U.S. troops remain stationed, primarily to prevent the terrorist group’s resurgence. It comes amid improved U.S.-Syrian relations, including al-Sharaa’s recent White House visit—the first by a Syrian leader since 1946—and the lifting of sanctions following Assad’s ouster.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed Trump’s resolve, warning that anyone targeting Americans “will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you.”
The names of the fallen service members are being withheld pending notification of next of kin. This attack is the deadliest against U.S. personnel in Syria since a 2019 bombing in Manbij that killed four Americans.
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