Blaine Holt to Newsmax: Deadly Syria Attack Shows ISIS Remains Dangerous

An ISIS suicide bombing and ensuing gunfire on Saturday that killed two U.S. service members and an American civilian in Syria is a stark reminder that the terror group remains capable of lethal strikes even as the region's power dynamics shift, retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt said on Newsmax on Saturday.

"Well, here's what we know so far, and what I know comes from translated Arabic periodicals," Holt told "Saturday Report." "This is in the town of Badiya, which is to the east of Palmyra, almost dead on center of the country."

He further described the incident as a joint patrol moving from Palmyra to an outpost site.

Holt said the attack began with a suicide bomber and was followed by a burst of gunfire, leaving additional casualties beyond the three reported deaths.

"There was an ISIS suicide bomber who blew himself up, and then a barrage of gunfire," Holt said.

"We know there were other injuries. There was a medevac executed by the United States Army out of Palmyra, and they're tending to the wounded as fast as they can," he added, noting that more details were still pending.

Holt urged viewers to keep the families of those killed in their thoughts, describing the day as a painful loss for U.S. forces and partners operating in the area.

Beyond the immediate facts of the attack, Holt linked the incident to broader strategic stakes in Syria, saying instability there could ripple across the region and complicate U.S. priorities.

"Their mission there could not be more important. If Syria were to fall into chaos now, the entire region would go with it," Holt said.

He also said that combating ISIS remains central to maintaining the fragile balance he described, tying Syria's stability to the wider regional picture.

"The linchpin, the cotter pin, is Syria. And so getting at ISIS is a top priority because the stability right now could not be more important," he said.

The discussion also noted that the American civilian killed was believed to be an interpreter and that multiple others were injured in the attack.

Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, also on Saturday's program, said the attack also underscored that many Americans may not realize U.S. forces have maintained a long-running presence in Syria and continue to operate alongside local partners.

"Most Americans don't realize that we have had a continuous presence inside of Syria for many, many years," Kimmitt said, adding that U.S. forces work with the Syrian Democratic Forces, which he described as "a Kurdish unit that has proven invaluable ... in the war against ISIS."

Kimmitt said Syria remains unstable despite shifting political circumstances, warning that a reduction in large-scale fighting does not mean the threat has passed.

"Syria, just because Julani [Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa] has taken over and apparently major conflict has stopped, that doesn't mean that the country is safe," he said.

He also said claims that ISIS was defeated years ago have not matched reality on the ground, pointing to what he called ongoing efforts by remnants of the group to reconstitute and strike back.

"It's clear that there are still remnants of ISIS that are trying to regroup and in this case, retaliate," Kimmitt said, adding, "I think we need to wait for further information," while urging prayers for the families of those killed.

Kimmitt said the broader challenge for U.S. policy is preventing Syria from becoming a power vacuum that could be exploited by adversaries or extremists.

"The last thing we need to do is allow Syria to be a security vacuum or a political vacuum for either Iran to come back in or to Russia come back in," he said, adding that the day's attack was a reminder that stabilizing Syria "is not easy" and "not without a cost."

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