Palmyra Attack Was Not ISIS

The Syrian government announced that the perpetrator of the deadly Palmyra attack that killed three Americans was a member of the country's security apparatus and was to be expelled for extremist views, an issue that calls into question Washington's narrative of the role of ISIS and adds new dimensions to the security crisis in Syria with the presence of the United States.

News ID: 87022

Date: 15 December 2025 - 10:04

TEHRAN (Defapress) - The Syrian government announced on Sunday that the gunman who killed three Americans in the central region of Palmyra on Saturday was a member of the country's security apparatus. This is despite Washington having attributed the attack to the terrorist group ISIS.

Donald Trump promised "very serious revenge" after the attack on Saturday. The US president had said: "The ISIS attack against the United States and Syria was carried out in a very dangerous area that is not yet fully under control."

Two American soldiers and a civilian translator were killed in the attack, which the Syrian government described as a terrorist attack.

The Syrian Ministry of Interior also announced that the gunman was to be expelled from the country's security apparatus soon for having takfiri views.

"The Syrian authorities had decided to expel this individual from the security forces for his extremist views, and this was to be done on Sunday," Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba told state television. "There were warnings from the Internal Security Command to the allied forces in the desert region. The international coalition forces did not take the Syrian warnings seriously," a Syrian security official told AFP on Sunday.

"11 members of the Syrian security forces were then transferred for questioning," a Syrian security official told AFP.

Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was held by the Islamic State group in the Golan Heights in Syria.

"Our soldiers were meeting with local leaders as part of a counterterrorism operation when the attack occurred," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.

The ISIS terrorist group seized large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014 during the Syrian civil war, but five years later, thanks to the efforts of the Holy Shrine Defenders and under the command of martyred Lieutenant Major General Qassem Soleimani, it was defeated and disappeared from the scene. However, the remnants of this terrorist group are still present in the vast deserts of Syria.

Last month, during the visit of Abu Muhammad al-Jolani - a former wanted terrorist - to Washington, Damascus officially joined the US-led global coalition against ISIS.

US forces are stationed in northeastern Syria and also at the al-Tanf base near the Jordanian border.