Overview
- Two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter were killed and three service members were wounded, according to the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command.
- A lone gunman was engaged and killed after opening fire during a joint U.S.–Syrian visit and patrol in the Badia region near Palmyra.
- President Donald Trump vowed a “very serious” response, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that those who target Americans will be hunted down.
- U.S. authorities say the incident remains under active investigation and the names of the dead are being withheld pending next‑of‑kin notification.
- Syrian state outlets and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights offered conflicting accounts about the attacker’s ties and cited prior warnings, and ISIS has not publicly claimed responsibility.