Syrian Who Killed U.S. Soldiers Was Member of Security Forces, Officials Say

Multiple U.S. service members were injured in an ambush attack in Syria on Saturday, according to a senior U.S. official. The attack targeted a convoy of U.S. and Syrian forces fighting ISIS while on patrol in Palmyra. The injured were transported to the al-Tanf garrison near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders. The U.S. maintains a military presence in Syria to monitor ISIS, with approximately 1,500 troops stationed at eight bases, although that number is expected to decrease. The incident occurred as Syrians marked the first anniversary of the Assad regime's collapse.

On December 13, 2025, a joint Syrian-US patrol near Palmyra in the Homs region of Syria came under attack. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the assailant was killed during the incident. Two Syrian personnel and several US service members were wounded. The motive for the attack remains unknown. Military aircraft conducted overflights, and the wounded were evacuated by US helicopters to the al-Tanf base near the Iraqi border. The US maintains troops in northeastern Syria to assist a Kurdish-led force in combating ISIL, which previously controlled Palmyra before being ousted in 2018, though they still conduct sporadic attacks. The incident occurred one year after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, as Syria continues to face security and economic challenges.