US soldiers, civilian interpreter killed during ambush in Syria by apparent ISIS gunman: Officials

December 13, 2025

ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Two U.S. soldiers and one civilian U.S. interpreter were killed in Syria Saturday after they were ambushed by a likely ISIS gunman, U.S. officials said.

The gunman was killed by “partner forces” during a skirmish, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Three other service members were injured during the incident in Palmyra, Syria, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. Two U.S. officials told ABC News the wounded were American.

“The attack occurred as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement. Their mission was in support of on-going counter-ISIS / counter-terrorism operations in the region,” Parnell said in a statement.

This marked the first combat deaths since President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office.

Two U.S. officials told ABC News that Saturday’s attack “took place in an area where the Syrian President does not have control.”

The identities of the soldiers were not immediately revealed due to ongoing next of kin notifications, officials said.

The three American fatalities in today’s attack in Syria are the first combat deaths in that country since 2019 when four Americans were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Manbij, Syria.

Prior to today there had been 10 U.S. military deaths in Syria, including a mix of hostile and non-hostile deaths. The most recent U.S. military death in Syria was a non-hostile death in February 2022.

Hong Kong fire death toll rises to 55 people with fires still burning, officials say

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(LONDON) — The death toll from the massive fire at a residential apartment complex in Hong Kong rose to 55 as of Thursday, as search and rescue efforts continued.

Fifty-one of the deceased victims died at the scene, fire department officials said in a press conference, while four more people died in hospital.

There are currently 76 people being treated in hospital, with 15 in a critical condition and 28 in a serious condition, the officials added.

Fires are still burning in three of the seven affected buildings in Tai Po district, officials said, with all remaining blazes now under control. Seven of the eight buildings in the complex were impacted by the fire, officials said.

Three men associated with the construction firm in charge of the renovation at the housing complex have been arrested and are under investigation in connection with the fire, Hong Kong police said during a press conference early Thursday morning.

Police suspect the mesh used during the renovation was not up to standard, and the company installed a large amount of Styrofoam in the windows and the outer walls which acted as an accelerant once the fire began, police said.

The mesh and the Styrofoam were found in the one building that wasn’t impacted by the fire, police said.

More than 140 fire engines and over 800 firefighters and paramedics were deployed on Wednesday to respond to the fire, with drones also in use, officials said.

Some 279 people have been reported missing, Hong Kong leader John Lee said during a press briefing earlier Thursday.

“The fire has resulted in many casualties, including a fireman who died in the line of duty,” Lee said in an earlier statement posted to social media. “I express my deep sadness and my deep condolences to the families of the dead and the injured.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his condolences and sympathies to the victims’ families and those affected in a statement.

He said he ordered authorities to “do everything possible to ensure search and rescue operations, medical treatment for the injured, and post-disaster relief, and to provide necessary assistance to relevant departments and local authorities to minimize casualties and losses.”

Man arrested after ‘pepper spray’ incident at Heathrow parking lot, police say

Travelers held at Heathrow where train platforms remained closed. (Jay Davies/Getty Images)

(LONDON) — A man was arrested on Sunday after a “group of men” unleashed what may have been pepper spray during an altercation in a parking garage at London’s Heathrow Airport, the police said.

The incident was not being investigated as terrorism, Cmdr. Peter Stevens, of London’s Met Police, said in a statement. Officers were called just after 8 a.m. local time to the parking garage at the airport’s Terminal 3, where there were reports of “multiple people being assaulted,” the department said.

“A number of people were sprayed with what is believed to be a form of pepper spray by a group of men who then left the scene,” the police said.

The man who was detained, who was not immediately identified, remained in custody on suspicion of assault, the police said.

“At this stage, we believe the incident involved a group of people known to each other, with an argument escalating and resulting in a number of people being injured,” Stevens said.

Police said people were transferred by ambulances to local hospitals with injuries that were thought to be non life-threatening. Officials did not say immediately how many people had been injured.

Terminal 3 remained open, although there was “some disruption of traffic” in the area near the parking garage, police said. Stevens in his statement said the department planned to increase the presence of officers throughout the airport, which is among the busiest in Europe, for the remainder of the morning.

“Passengers are advised to allow extra time when travelling to the airport and to check with their airline for any queries,” Heathrow said on social media.

UK police respond to stabbing ‘attack,’ shoot suspect near Manchester synagogue

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(LONDON) — A vehicle was driven toward a crowd of people and a man was stabbed near a synagogue in Manchester, a northern British city, police said.

“One man has been shot, believed to be the offender,” the Greater Manchester Police said on social media.

The incident occurred outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in a northern suburb of the city on Thursday morning, law enforcement said.

Police said at least four people had been injured, “with injuries caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds.” A member of the public told responding officers “he had witnessed a car being driven towards members of the public,” along with a man being stabbed, police said.

Firearms officers responded to the call, police said.

Police said they had declared the major incident, along with a “PLATO” designation, a law enforcement shorthand that means the incident was being treated as a potential marauding terrorist attack.

Thursday is Yom Kippur, which is considered the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post to X that he was “appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall.”

“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” the prime minister added.

“My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders,” Starmer wrote.

The website of the synagogue where the incident occurred listed Yom Kippur-related events for both Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

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