US Vows “Serious Retaliation” After ISIS Attack Kills Three Americans in Syria

President Donald Trump promised swift and severe retaliation Saturday following an attack in central Syria that killed two U.S. service members and an American civilian interpreter. Three additional American troops were wounded in what officials described as an ambush by a lone Islamic State group fighter.

“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 wrote on his Truth Social platform. “There will be very serious retaliation.”

The deadly assault marks the first fatal attack on U.S. forces in Syria since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s regime last year. U.S. Central Command confirmed that the gunman was killed during the attack, which also wounded members of Syria’s security forces.

Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa revealed that the fallen soldiers were members of the Iowa National Guard. “Our Iowa National Guard family is hurting as we mourn the loss of two of our own and pray for the recovery of the three soldiers wounded,” Ernst said in a statement. Ernst herself previously served in the Iowa National Guard.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a statement noting that the identities of the deceased soldiers are being withheld until 24 hours after next-of-kin notifications are completed. “Our hearts are heavy today, and our prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of our soldiers killed in action,” she said.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that the civilian casualty was a U.S. interpreter supporting counter-terrorism operations in the region. According to the state-run Syrian news agency SANA, the attack occurred near the historic site of Palmyra, with casualties transported by helicopter to the al-Tanf garrison near the borders with Iraq and Jordan.

Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Nour al-Din al-Baba initially indicated authorities were investigating whether the gunman was an actual IS member or simply embraced the group’s ideology. In a subsequent statement to state television, al-Baba claimed the attacker was a member of Syria’s Internal Security force who “did not have any command post” within the forces.

Al-Baba elaborated that the attacker was one of approximately 5,000 members who had joined the Internal Security forces in the desert region. He stated that an evaluation conducted three days prior had flagged the individual for potential extremist ideology, with a decision regarding his status expected on Sunday — the day after the attack occurred.

U.S. officials did not confirm the attacker’s alleged affiliation with Syrian security forces. When questioned, a Pentagon official speaking on condition of anonymity said only that “this attack took place in an area where the Syrian President does not have control.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a stern warning on social media platform X: “Let it be known, if you target Americans — anywhere in the world — you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you.”

The attack highlights the continuing threat posed by IS in the region despite the group’s territorial defeat in 2019. The United Nations estimates that IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters across Syria and Iraq, with sleeper cells conducting periodic attacks.

The incident occurs amid a significant diplomatic warming between the U.S. and Syria following Assad’s ouster last December. Syria’s current interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the rebel forces that toppled the Assad regime, made a historic visit to Washington last month — the first White House visit by a Syrian head of state since the country gained independence from France in 1946.

Al-Sharaa’s rise to power marks a remarkable transformation in U.S.-Syria relations. Once having ties to al-Qaida with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head, al-Sharaa now leads a Syria that recently joined the international coalition fighting against IS as Damascus works to improve its standing with Western nations.

The United States maintains hundreds of troops in eastern Syria as part of the ongoing campaign against IS remnants. American forces have been targeted previously in Syria, with one of the deadliest incidents occurring in 2019 when a blast in the northern town of Manbij killed two U.S. service members and two American civilians.