• Two American soldiers and one civilian interpreter killed in a shooting in Palmyra, Syria.
• The attacker was a member of security forces suspected of having extremist ties.
• Syria has arrested five individuals following the attack, suggesting an infiltration of ISIS sympathizers.

On Saturday, a horrific shooting occurred in Palmyra, Syria, resulting in the deaths of two American soldiers and one civilian interpreter. The assailant, who was also killed during the incident, was reported to be a member of local security forces suspected of affiliations with the Islamic State (ISIS), according to SCMP and CBS News. The shooting marks a significant violation of the fragile cooperation between U.S. forces and the Syrian government.

Following the attack, the Syrian Interior Ministry confirmed that the shooter was scheduled to be dismissed for extremist views prior to the incident. Interior Ministry spokesman Nour al-Din al-Baba indicated that the individual had served in the security forces only for two months and had been recently reassigned amid suspicions of his loyalty, according to Le Monde and LA Times.

The aftermath of the shooting saw the Syrian government take immediate action, arresting five suspects believed to have connections to the attacker. The Syrian Interior Ministry stated that these arrests were part of a larger operation aimed at addressing potential ISIS infiltration within security forces, reflecting the ongoing complexities within Syrian governance, as reported by Reuters.

The incident underlines the precarious nature of U.S.-Syria relations, which have shifted considerably since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. A month prior, Syria had entered into a political cooperation agreement with the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, a move that was underscored by President Ahmed al-Sharaa's visit to Washington, highlighting a thaw in relations amid security concerns, as detailed by CBS News and Reuters.

This attack is the first with fatalities since the overthrown regime, representing a significant escalation in violence that complicates the ongoing effort against ISIS and raises questions about the reliability of Syrian security forces in the fight against terrorism, as pointed out by LA Times and Le Monde.