Two U.S. soldiers, along with an American interpreter, were killed, and several other U.S. troops and members of armed groups were injured in an attack targeting a joint military delegation in the central Syrian city of Palmyra.

According to the Pentagon, the attack occurred during a meeting between U.S. soldiers and local leaders. The U.S. Central Command reported that the assault resulted from an ambush by a lone gunman affiliated with ISIS, who was subsequently killed by allied forces.

This marks the first incident of its kind since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, amid recent rapprochement efforts between the ruling armed groups and the United States over the past months.

The Syrian news agency SANA confirmed that two members of Syrian security forces and several U.S. personnel were injured, while the shooter was killed. 

A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the gunfire erupted while U.S. and Syrian officers were gathered inside a Syrian security facility in the historic city of Palmyra.

Helicopters reportedly evacuated the injured to the U.S. base at Al-Tanf, where American forces are stationed.

The visit of the delegation aligns with what the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described as a clear U.S. strategy to bolster its presence deep in the Syrian desert.

ISIS had previously controlled Palmyra in 2015 and 2016, expanding its influence across the Syrian desert, destroying prominent historical sites, and executing both civilians and military personnel. 

The group eventually lost control following government offensives backed by Russian support, though its cells have continued sporadic attacks in the desert.

SANA reported that U.S. helicopters intervened to evacuate the wounded to Al-Tanf following the shooting.

Damascus officially joined the so-called “International Coalition” against ISIS after the leader of the armed groups, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, visited Washington last month.

U.S. forces are primarily deployed in northeastern Syria in Kurdish-controlled areas and at the Al-Tanf base near the Jordanian border, where Washington says its military presence focuses on combating ISIS and supporting local allies.