Donald Trump announced he will retaliate after U.S. soldiers and a civilian were killed in an ambush by Islamic State militants in Syria that claimed three lives.
On Saturday, 13 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Donald Trump, President of the United States, declared that the U.S. would respond after two U.S. soldiers and one civilian interpreter were killed in an ambush by the Islamic State (ISIS) armed group in Syria.
"We will retaliate," Trump told reporters outside the White House before posting on Truth Social that Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sarra was "very angry" and disturbed by the attack.
Officials reported that the two U.S. soldiers and the civilian interpreter were killed in the central Syrian city of Palmyra on Saturday after a gunman, alleged to be an ISIS member, opened fire on a joint patrol of U.S. and Syrian forces.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, announced the deaths via X after Syrian media earlier reported that the attack in Palmyra left American and Syrian troops injured.
"A lone ISIS gunman’s ambush resulted in three American deaths and additional injuries to three soldiers," CENTCOM stated, adding that "the gunman was shot and killed."
Sean Parnell, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, said the attack occurred while troops were supporting counterterrorism operations. Tom Barrack, U.S. special envoy for Syria, said the ambush targeted a joint U.S.-Syrian government patrol.
This marks the first time in over a year that U.S. soldiers have been killed in Syria since Islamist militants ousted long-time Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December last year, leading to renewed U.S.-Syrian relations.
Previously, Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Anwar Al-Baba stated that internal security command had warned allied forces in Syria of possible ISIS infiltration, adding that "international allied forces are heeding Syria’s warning about potential ISIS infiltration."
.cna