Two U.S. soldiers and an American interpreter were killed in an ISIS attack near Palmyra, Syria, prompting President Donald Trump and the Pentagon to promise swift retaliation as the investigation continues.

Two soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed while supporting counterterror operations, the Pentagon said. They are the first U.S. casualties in Syria since the fall of the dictator Bashar al-Assad.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that "there will be very serious retaliation" after two US service members and one American civilian were killed in an attack in Syria that the United States blames on the Islamic State group.

Iowa National Guard Major General Stephen Osborn said the two unnamed soldiers were killed Saturday, Dec. 13, by a suspected "lone ISIS gunman in Syria." One U.S. civilian also was killed and three additional Iowa National Guard soldiers were injured in the ambush.

President Trump vowed to respond Saturday after an attack on US and coalition forces killed three US service members in Palmyra, Syria.

Trump attended the Army-Navy game, vowing “serious retaliation” after an ISIS gunman killed three U.S. personnel in Syria.

There are many ISIS detainees in eastern Syria, including many families of ISIS fighters. These detainees will need to be addressed, and the families de-radicalized.

Over four days in late November 2025, U.S. and Syrian forces carried out a coordinated campaign that destroyed more than 15 ISIS weapons storage sites in southern Syria. The operation, conducted between November 24 and 27 in Rif Damashq province,