Overview
- Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of the Iowa National Guard were identified after they were killed near Palmyra during a key leader engagement in support of counter-ISIS operations.
- U.S. officials described the assailant as a lone ISIS gunman who was killed at the scene, while Syria’s Interior Ministry said he worked in state security and had been under review for extremist views.
- Syrian authorities reported a subsequent security operation in Palmyra that resulted in five arrests connected to the attack, with inquiries continuing into possible ISIS links or insider involvement.
- Three additional U.S. service members were wounded; two were evacuated to a military hospital in Jordan in stable condition and a third was treated locally, according to Iowa National Guard officials.
- President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed a forceful response, as roughly 1,000 U.S. troops remain in Syria under Operation Inherent Resolve to prevent an ISIS resurgence.