Syrian and US forces were fired upon during a joint patrol near Palmyra, wounding two Syrian personnel and several US service members, SANA reported. The attacker was killed at the scene and US helicopters reportedly evacuated the wounded to the al‑Tanf base. Traffic on the Deir Ezzor–Damascus highway was briefly halted while military aircraft conducted overflights. The Pentagon had no immediate comment; the incident underscores ongoing security risks in post‑conflict Syria.
Joint Syrian–US Patrol Near Palmyra Comes Under Fire; Several Wounded, Attacker Killed
Residents ride a motorcycle along a war-damaged street in Palmyra, Syria [File: Ghaith Alsayed/AP]
Syrian security forces and United States soldiers came under fire while conducting a joint field patrol near the ancient city of Palmyra in central Homs, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported. SANA said two Syrian personnel and several US service members were wounded in the incident and that the assailant was killed on the scene.
SANA provided few details about the motive or circumstances surrounding the attack. A security source quoted by the agency said US helicopters evacuated those injured to the al-Tanf base near the Iraqi border. The Pentagon had no immediate comment.
Local disruption and military response: SANA reported that traffic on the Deir Ezzor–Damascus highway was temporarily halted while military aircraft conducted overflights of the area. The pause in traffic underscores continued security concerns around key routes in central and eastern Syria.
Context: The United States has maintained forces in northeastern Syria for about a decade to support a Kurdish-led force in operations against ISIL (also known as ISIS). ISIL captured Palmyra in 2015 during its expansion in Syria and destroyed significant archaeological sites before losing control of the city roughly ten months later. Although ISIL was largely defeated as a territorial force in Syria by 2018, the group still carries out sporadic attacks.
Syria continues to face severe security and economic challenges as it attempts to rebuild after 14 years of civil war. The incident near Palmyra highlights the fragile security environment that persists across parts of the country.
Note: Details remain limited and reports are based on the state-run SANA agency and a named security source; independent confirmation and further comment from US authorities were not available at the time of reporting.
