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Two U.S. Soldiers, American Civilian Interpreter Killed in Attack in Syria

Two U.S. soldiers and an American civilian interpreter were killed during an attack Saturday near the city of Palmyra, Syria, according to the Pentagon.

Three additional U.S. soldiers were wounded in the assault, the Pentagon added.

President Trump in a social-media post called it “an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria.” He warned “there will be very serious retaliation,” adding that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former al Qaeda and Islamist rebel commander, “is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack.”

The attack occurred as the soldiers were guarding a meeting between a local U.S. commander, a lieutenant colonel, and an official from the Syrian Interior Ministry about countering ISIS, according to a senior U.S. official. The U.S. soldiers were guarding the meeting alongside Syrian troops, according to a U.S. official.

As the meeting was occurring, a lone gunman popped up in a window and opened fire on the troops with a machine gun, the senior U.S. official said. The U.S. and Syrian forces opened fire and suppressed the gunman, according to the official. U.S. officials then called in a medical evacuation team, while Syrian forces pursued and killed the gunman, the official said. Three members of the Syrian security forces were wounded in the assault, according to the senior U.S. official.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said in a statement that the attack was conducted by a “lone ISIS gunman.”

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called the meeting between the U.S. officer and the Syrian Interior Ministry official a “key leader engagement,” a military term referring to meetings with local officials or dignitaries.

The U.S. soldiers who were killed were members of an Iowa National Guard unit deployed to Syria, officials said.
Islamic State militants have staged 117 attacks in northeast Syria through the end of August, far outpacing the 73 attacks in all of 2024, according to figures from the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia that controls much of Syria’s northeast. They have also plotted attacks in the capital of Damascus, 270 miles away from their bases of operation in the east, Syria’s government has said.
The U.S. has around 1,000 troops in Syria, mostly in the eastern portion of the country, down from around 2,000 in April. It has shut down multiple bases or handed them over to the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Since the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad last December, the Trump administration has embraced al-Sharaa, the Syrian president. Islamic State, which the U.S. declared in 2019 was mostly defeated, has remained a threat in Syria and continued to conduct attacks since Assad’s departure.

The U.S. is trying to broker an agreement that would integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces into the new Syrian military, but progress on unifying the two forces has stalled.

Read more: Two U.S. Soldiers, American Civilian Interpreter Killed in Attack in Syria - WSJ
Mobile mayor pushes for waterfront redevelopment: Shops, restaurants, bars

By John Sharp | jsharp@al.com

Mobile’s waterfront has long been the engine of the city’s maritime economy, its busy port moving ever-growing volumes of cargo that keep coastal Alabama a vital player along the Gulf Coast.

But over the past 35 years, the shoreline has transformed int

Read more: Mobile mayor pushes for waterfront redevelopment: Shops, restaurants, bars - al.com
Roof to rise soon on Mobile Entertainment Arena; hockey rink moves forward

By Ashlyn Mitchell
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - The skyline in downtown Mobile is changing quickly as the new Mobile Entertainment Arena continues rising beam by beam.

Steel beams now outline the massive structure, and concrete is being poured across multiple levels. Mobile Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis has been closely watching the arena take shape from his office. On Friday, he invited FOX10 News to join him for a bird’s-eye view of the construction zone.

Cheriogotis says the city is preparing for the next big steps, including installing more pre-cast seating sections and beginning work on the roof.

“I expect next week they’ll start on the roof trusses which I’m happy about but I’m sad because when the roof comes up, I won’t see as much of the progress because I always peek in there and see what’s happening,” the mayor said.

This week, Oak View Group also announced the arena’s leadership team: General Manager Erik Hudson and Assistant General Manager Willie J. Williams — both with extensive experience managing large entertainment venues across the country. OVG already operates several Mobile facilities, including the Mobile Convention Center and the Saenger Theater.

“They partner with Live Nation and they book tours, people, and events throughout the country,” Mayor Cheriogotis said.

The arena will also become home to Mobile’s first hockey team in two decades. The City Council is set to vote Tuesday on purchasing dasher boards — the lower wall of a hockey rink that players and pucks bounce off.

As for the team’s name, the mayor says an announcement could be coming soon.

“I hear there might be one name that has received a mass majority of the votes so hopefully we’ll have an announcement on that soon but I’m lobbying the GM with my favorite team name,” he said.

Despite the tight timeline, the mayor says construction remains on schedule and on budget. The arena is expected to open in January 2027. The mayor says dry weather in November helped keep the project on track.

“We want to build this fast but right. We have a timeline that’s tight — with Mardi Gras being early in 2027, we’re trying to get it open and ready for the public before Mardi Gras season next year,” Cheriogotis said.

People who work downtown say they’ve noticed the arena rising quickly.

“It’s really cool how quick it came up. Sometimes construction in Mobile can take a little bit longer,” said Hunter Afzalirad, who works in the area. “Anything that brings more people downtown — it’s livelier here.”

Mayor Cheriogotis says the city hopes to reveal the hockey team’s official name sometime this spring.

The arena project is budgeted at approximately $300 million — making it the most expensive construction project in Mobile’s history.

Read more : Roof to rise soon on Mobile Entertainment Arena; hockey rink moves forward