Summary

A joint patrol of Syrian security forces and US soldiers near Palmyra came under fire on Saturday, leaving two Syrian personnel and several US service members wounded, Syrian state media SANA reported. The assailant was killed at the scene; authorities gave no further details on motive or circumstances. Military aircraft carried out overflights that temporarily halted traffic on the Deir Ezzor–Damascus highway, and a security source said US helicopters evacuated the wounded to the al‑Tanf base near the Iraqi border.

The incident underscores ongoing security risks in central Syria despite ISIL’s loss of territory; the report notes US troops remain in parts of Syria as part of a decade‑long mission to support a Kurdish‑led force against ISIL. Palmyra — seized by ISIL in 2015 and later retaken — remains a sensitive area after the extremist group’s past destruction of heritage sites. The country continues to face deep security and economic challenges after 14 years of civil war and has, the article adds, recently marked one year since the ouster of longtime leader Bashar al‑Assad, as reported by Al Jazeera

This story has also been reported by: New York Times