Donald Trump has vowed “very serious retaliation” against ISIS after the group killed three Americans in Syria, despite earlier this year having claimed to have “defeated” the militant organization.
“We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter. Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well,” he wrote on Truth Social Saturday.
“This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them. The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
According to Assistant to the Secretary of Defense Sean Parnell, the attack on Saturday that claimed the lives of two U.S. soldiers and one civilian interpreter occurred during a “key leader engagement” in Palmyra as part of ongoing counter-terrorism operations in Syria.
Parnell added that the attack is under investigation and victim identities are being withheld, pending family notification.
The U.S. Central Command also shared information on the social media platform, stating that the attack was carried out by a “lone ISIS gunman” who was “engaged and killed.”
The savage who perpetrated this attack was killed by partner forces.
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. https://t.co/P7D9NrWpAL— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) December 13, 2025
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has joined Trump in publicly promising vengeance against ISIS and any others who “target Americans.”
The savage who perpetrated this attack was killed by partner forces. 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,” Hegseth wrote on X.
Months before vowing revenge on ISIS for this attack, Trump claimed that the terror group was completely defeated.
“We defeated ISIS,” Trump boasted during a January press conference, according to NBC News. Years earlier, in 2020, he similarly celebrated having “defeated 100% of the ISIS caliphate in Iraq and Syria.”
An April 2025 statement from Parnell on the consolidation of forces in Syria was less certain, recognizing “the success the United States has had against ISIS, including its 2019 territorial defeat under President Trump,” before later stating that the U.S. planned to “continue strikes against the remnants of ISIS in Syria.”
Trump and Al-Sharaa—who was formerly branded a terrorist in the U.S. due to his connections with Al-Qaeda—last met last month, when Trump suggested that he had high hopes for Syria.
“I look forward to meeting and speaking again. Everyone is talking about the Great Miracle that is taking place in the Middle East. Having a stable and successful Syria is very important to all countries in the Region,” he wrote on Truth Social at the time.
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