US and Syrian Soldiers Wounded in Unprecedented Attack on Joint Patrol in Palmyra

Helicopters evacuated the wounded to the Tanf base in southern Syria. (File)

Multiple Syrian and American soldiers sustained injuries when gunfire targeted a joint military delegation in the central Syrian city of Palmyra on Saturday, according to state media reports.

This marks the first reported incident of its kind since Islamist-led forces deposed longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December last year, which subsequently led to renewed diplomatic relations between Syria and the United States.

State news agency SANA, citing a security source, reported that "several members of the American forces" were wounded alongside "two members of the Syrian security forces" during the shooting incident.

SANA indicated that the soldiers were conducting a "joint patrol" in Palmyra, a city previously controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group, and confirmed that the assailant was killed in the engagement.

The injured personnel were evacuated by helicopters to the Tanf base located in southern Syria, where American troops maintain a deployment, according to SANA.

Last month, during Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's official visit to Washington, Damascus formally announced its membership in the US-led global coalition against the IS group.