BREAKING: Two U.S. Troops, Interpreter Confirmed Dead In Syria Operation

Two U.S. service members and one U.S. interpreter were killed during a counterterrorism operation in central Syria on Saturday, the Pentagon has confirmed in a statement.

“Today in Palmyra, Syria, two United States Army soldiers and one civilian U.S. interpreter were killed, and three were wounded,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced in an X post.

“The attack occurred as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement. Their mission was in support of on-going counter-ISIS / counter-terrorism operations in the region,” the statement continued. Parnell added that the identities of the soldiers, as well as identifying information about their units, is being withheld for 24 hours while families are notified.

“The savage who perpetrated this attack was killed by partner forces,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a post of his own.

“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.”

According to Syria’s state-run SANA news agency, two members of the nation’s security forces were also injured in the attack. No group has claimed responsibility as of this report, and the identity of the gunman has not been released.

Today in Palmyra, Syria, two United States Army soldiers and one civilian U.S. interpreter were killed, and three were wounded.

The attack occurred as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement. Their mission was in support of on-going counter-ISIS / counter-terrorism…

— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) December 13, 2025

While President Trump has in the past called for a complete withdrawal from Syria, U.S. forces have remained in the region to support the beleaguered Syrian government in the aftermath of the toppling of Bashar al-Assad’s government last year. As of this past June, the number of U.S. troops in the country was estimated at 1,500, while Fox News reported that the number could drop to a few hundred this year.

The U.S. has conducted multiple operations against ISIS militants and other related groups in the country, oftentimes in conjunction with Syrian security forces, over the past several months.

While ISIS does not control significant amounts of territory in Syria in 2025, the group still operates out of the remote Syrian desert and has carried out multiple attacks against the Syrian government and civilian targets. A UN report recently estimated the group’s strength to be anywhere between 5,000 and 7,000 members across Iraq and Syria.

Palmyra — an ancient Roman city — has long been vulnerable to ISIS activity due to its positioning along the Syrian desert.

In 2016, ISIS shocked the world when it retook the city following months of coalition bombing campaigns. Militants proceeded to carry out massacres and destroyed several ancient artifacts following the re-capture.

U.S. troops have long maintained a presence across various parts of Syria and have sustained casualties in the past.

On January 16, 2019, a suicide bomber claimed by ISIS detonated an explosive vest outside a popular restaurant in Manbij, northern Syria, targeting a U.S. military patrol during a routine engagement. The attack killed four Americans — two service members, one Department of Defense civilian, and one contractor — along with several locals and allied fighters, marking the deadliest incident for U.S. forces in Syria since their deployment began in 2015.