United States military units imposed a communications blackout after two Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed, and three service members wounded, by a lone ISIS gunman during a key leader engagement in Palmyra, Syria, on December 13, 2025, according to a U.S. veteran on X (@EODHappyCaptain) posting between 5:17 PM and 5:47 PM UTC. The Pentagon confirmed the deaths and injuries in statements issued between 4:17 PM and 5:16 PM UTC, noting partner forces killed the attacker during counter-ISIS operations, as stated by SecWar on X and CENTCOM. Identities remain withheld pending next-of-kin notification, with an investigation ongoing. @EODHappyCaptain described the blackout procedure, implemented to prevent families learning of casualties through unofficial channels, expressing sympathy for affected families, friends, and deployed personnel. SDF commander Mazloum Abdi offered condolences for U.S. soldiers and Syrian General Security casualties in Palmyra, according to reports from @NotWoofers and WarFront Witness shared in the prior reporting window. Separate X posts during the past 30 minutes reported HTS fighters displaying ISIS patches in Aleppo and an ISIS flag during an HTS-linked investigation of a captured pro-Assad fighter, per @ScharoMaroof, @RojavaNetwork, and @Jamal_Bali7. The Syrian Observatory reported the interim Syrian president met Alawite notables, promising to address grievances and ease sectarian tensions.
