The attack, which took place in the city of Palmyra, comes a year after the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the lifting of U.S. sanctions.

The gunman was killed by "partner forces," Secretary Hegseth said.

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.

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,

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Tuesday that their elite units captured an Islamic State (ISIS) “emir” during a raid conducted in cooperation with the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province.