US deploys forces in Syria’s Palmyra, Trump vows retaliation after ISIS attack
Shafaq News – Washington / Damascus (Updated at 00:55)
US forces carried out heightened military activity in the central Syrian city of Palmyra on Saturday, deploying armored vehicles across city streets, after an ISIS attack killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter.
According to Shafaq News correspondent, fighting jets fired into the sky flares without launching any strike.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump warned of “very serious retaliation”, adding that three other troops were wounded and are in stable condition.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the attacker was killed by partner forces, warning in a post on X that the United States would pursue and eliminate anyone who targets Americans anywhere in the world.
The savage who perpetrated this attack was killed by partner forces. 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. https://t.co/P7D9NrWpAL
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) December 13, 2025
Earlier, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that an ISIS gunman carried out an ambush in Syria that killed two US service members and a civilian contractor and wounded three troops.
US Special Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, condemned the attack as “cowardly” terrorist ambush and reiterated Washington’s commitment to defeating terrorism alongside its Syrian partners.
I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist ambush targeting a joint U.S.–Syrian government patrol in central Syria. We mourn the loss of three brave U.S. service members and civilian personnel and wish a speedy recovery to the Syrian troops wounded in the attack. We remain… https://t.co/RhuyUzRk7S
— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) December 13, 2025
ISIS remains active in Syria through dispersed sleeper cells that carry out low-profile attacks in desert and border regions, particularlyDeir Ez-Zor countryside, and eastern Hasakah, exploiting security gaps to regroup and expand despite sustained counterterrorism pressure.
