The Syrian Interior Ministry announced on December 14 the arrest of five individuals suspected of involvement in a shooting targeting US and Syrian forces in Palmyra, central Syria, the previous day. The five suspects were immediately transferred for interrogation; their identities have not been released.

The apprehension operation was conducted by Syrian government units in Palmyra and international coalition forces.

The attack on December 13 resulted in the deaths of two US army soldiers and one US civilian interpreter, with three soldiers also sustaining injuries. The gunman was killed at the scene. The Syrian Interior Ministry described the attacker as a recent recruit to the Syrian security forces, suspected of having sympathies with the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) organization.

Syrian officials had assessed the attacker's profile just days before the ambush, concluding that the individual might hold extremist views, but a personnel decision was not made in time.

Syrian security forces in Sweida city, Sweida province on 16/7. Photo: Reuters

Nour al-Din al-Baba, spokesperson for the Syrian Interior Ministry, acknowledged the government's shortage of security personnel and its adoption of a rapid recruitment model over the past year. He revealed that the attacker was among 5,000 individuals who joined a newly established unit in the Badiya desert, an area where IS remnants remain active.

Al-Baba characterized the incident as a "serious security loophole." He added that authorities have launched large-scale raids in Badiya, dismantling several underground IS cells.

On December 14, President Donald Trump declared that those behind the ambush of US servicemen in Syria would face "great damage." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently spoke with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani following the attack.

Damascus reaffirmed its commitment to jointly suppress and eliminate the common threat posed by IS, a force that occupied significant territories in Syria and Iraq during the 2014-2019 period.

Syria is collaborating with the US-led anti-IS coalition, following an agreement reached with the US in November when President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House. The US continues to deploy forces in northeastern Syria for anti-IS missions.