US Central Command said on 13 December that two US service members and one US civilian were killed, and three service members wounded, after an Islamic State gunman ambushed US personnel in Syria. The assailant was killed. The attack occurred near Palmyra and the wounded were evacuated to the al‑Tanf garrison. Identities will be released 24 hours after next‑of‑kin notification, in line with department policy.
Pentagon officials said the team was conducting a key leader engagement when it came under fire. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States would pursue those who target Americans, and that the counter‑ISIS mission continues. Local reporting also indicated Syrian security personnel were injured.
The US presence forms part of Operation Inherent Resolve. The Congressional Research Service records that operations in Syria rely on the 2001 Authorisation for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against al‑Qaeda and associated forces and have historically cited the 2002 Iraq AUMF, with deployments in place since 2015.
Congress has moved to narrow these statutory bases. The final FY26 National Defense Authorization Act includes repeal of the 1991 and 2002 Iraq war authorisations; the House approved the package on 10 December and the Senate followed on 11 December, leaving the bill awaiting presidential signature. If enacted, Syria operations would rest principally on the 2001 AUMF unless new legislation is adopted.
While exact force levels are not routinely disclosed, US troops remain deployed to advise and enable partner forces, including the Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast and the Syrian Free Army around al‑Tanf. CENTCOM reported more than 22 partnered operations against ISIS in Syria in the month to 12 November.
Initial incident reporting indicates the ambush targeted a US–Syrian patrol near Palmyra, with Syrian security personnel also wounded. Officials said the patrol was meeting local interlocutors as part of counter‑terrorism outreach, a standard feature of the mission set.
The attack comes amid wider policy changes. In June, the White House revoked the Syria sanctions programme via executive order, citing steps taken by President Ahmed al‑Sharaa’s government, while retaining designations targeting ISIS, human rights abusers and Iranian proxies. Congress has also moved to repeal the Caesar sanctions as part of the FY26 defence bill.
For policy teams in Washington and coalition capitals, near‑term focus is on force protection and the statutory and diplomatic framework sustaining operations. CENTCOM says the incident is under investigation; casualty identifications will follow the next‑of‑kin process.
ISIS retains capacity for opportunistic attacks despite its territorial defeat in 2019. UN estimates cited by US media put the group’s presence at 5,000–7,000 fighters across Syria and Iraq, largely organised in small cells.
Key watchpoints now are CENTCOM’s after‑action findings, any adjustments to engagement protocols for patrols, and the enactment timeline for the FY26 NDAA’s AUMF repeals and Syria provisions, which will shape reporting requirements and the legal footing of counter‑ISIS activity into early 2026.