Islamic State calls Palmyra attack a blow to US and Syrian forces
ISIS said the Palmyra ambush that killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter was a “blow” to US and Syrian forces, its first public comment on the Dec. 13, 2025 attack, as investigations and arrests continue.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The Islamic State group has issued its first public comment on the deadly attack in Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra, describing the killing of American personnel as a “blow” to US forces and Syrian armed factions opposed to it, while stopping short of formally claiming responsibility.
In an article published on its Telegram channel on Thursday, ISIS accused the United States and its Syrian-based allies of forming a single front against the group. Using religious language, the organization framed the assault as a decisive moment meant to reinforce confidence among its supporters, without explicitly stating that it carried out the attack.
The comments followed an ambush on Dec. 13, 2025, when a joint US–Syrian convoy conducting counterterrorism operations near Palmyra was targeted by an attacker. According to the US military, two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed, while three additional US soldiers were wounded. The assailant was shot dead at the scene.
US President Donald Trump condemned the incident as “terrible” and vowed retaliation. In a statement issued after the attack, he warned of “very serious retaliation,” describing the victims as “three Great American Patriots” and stating that the attack would not go unanswered.
US Central Command said the ambush was carried out by a lone ISIS gunman who was engaged and killed during the incident. The command noted that the case remains under active investigation and that the identities of the fallen personnel are being withheld in line with US Department of War policy.
Syria’s Interior Ministry said on Sunday that security forces arrested five individuals suspected of links to the shooting. The ministry described the attacker as a member of the Syrian security forces suspected of sympathizing with ISIS, adding that the arrests were carried out in Palmyra in coordination with international coalition forces.
In his response to the attack, Trump said it was directed against both the United States and Syria, noting that it occurred in a highly dangerous area not fully under Syrian control. He added that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed” by the assault.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also issued a strong warning following the incident, saying: “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 Palmyra attack and ISIS’s subsequent statement come amid continued US and partner operations against the group in central and eastern Syria, as authorities on both sides of the coalition work to prevent further attacks and dismantle remaining ISIS networks.