Syria Detains Five ISIS Suspects After Deadly Shooting of US and Syrian Troops in Palmyra

Syria’s Interior Ministry announced on Sunday that five individuals had been detained in connection with a deadly shooting that targeted US and Syrian troops in the historic desert city of Palmyra.

The attack took place on Saturday when a gunman opened fire on a convoy carrying Syrian and American personnel. Two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in the assault.

According to the Interior Ministry, the attacker was a member of Syria’s security forces and is believed to have held extremist views or sympathies with the Islamic State (ISIS).

Syria’s Interior Ministry said its forces in Palmyra conducted an operation in coordination with “international coalition forces,” resulting in the arrest of five suspects who were immediately taken in for questioning.

The incident comes at a sensitive time, as Syria and a US-led coalition have recently stepped up cooperation against ISIS. This renewed coordination follows President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House last month, signaling closer security ties between Damascus and Washington.

On Sunday, US Secretary of State marco rubio spoke by phone with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani to discuss the attack. According to State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott, Shibani offered condolences and reaffirmed “the commitment of the Syrian government to degrade and destroy the shared threat of ISIS.”

Syrian authorities revealed that the attacker had been assessed days before the shooting and was suspected of holding extremist beliefs. The individual had reportedly been awaiting a decision regarding his future within the security services.

In recent months, the US-led coalition has intensified Airstrikes and ground operations against Islamic State targets in Syria, often working alongside Syrian security forces. Last month, Syria also launched a nationwide campaign that led to the arrest of more than 70 individuals suspected of having links to ISIS.

The United States has maintained a military presence in northeastern Syria as part of a decade-long campaign against the Islamic State, which once controlled large areas of Syria and Iraq between 2014 and 2019.

Syria remains deeply shaped by the aftermath of its 13-year civil war. Former rebel factions — including groups that broke away from Syria’s Al Qaeda affiliate and later fought ISIS — overthrew longtime leader Bashar al-Assad last year and now control the country’s government.

The Palmyra attack underscores the continuing threat posed by ISIS remnants, even as regional and international forces intensify efforts to prevent the group’s resurgence.