According to a senior US official speaking to Fox News, the soldiers who lost their lives and those injured in Syria on Saturday were part of the Iowa National Guard.

The tragic incident unfolded in Palmyra, a central Syrian town, where an ISIS-affiliated gunman unleashed gunfire from an automatic weapon. This assault claimed the lives of two Iowa National Guard soldiers and an American civilian translator.

In addition to the fatalities, three US soldiers sustained injuries during the ambush.

Initial investigations reveal that the perpetrator was previously associated with Syrian government forces, serving as a low-level member of the Syrian Security Forces, before aligning with ISIS, the official noted.

“The gunman was not associated with the official delegation that US and Syrian troops were accompanying,” the official clarified. “Therefore, this incident does not qualify as a ‘green on blue’ attack because the Syrian assailant was not part of the joint US/Syrian delegation.”

Earlier Saturday, US Central Command confirmed the deaths and injuries were a “result of an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman in Syria.”

President Donald Trump warned that there will be “very serious retaliation” following the ambush.

“We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter. Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

Trump added, “This was an ISIS attack against the US and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them.”

Last month, two West Virginia National Guard members were ambushed and shot near the White House in Washington, DC, in a targeted attack that left one soldier dead.

Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.