JERUSALEM, Israel – President Donald Trump promised "very serious retaliation" for the murders of two Iowa National Guard members and a U.S. civilian in an ambush attack near Palmyra, Syria, on Saturday. However, the president defended Syrian President Ahmed al-Shaara, saying he had been "devastated" by news of the killings.

The U.S. has placed the blame on the terror group ISIS. U.S. Central Command reported that three other Americans were wounded in the ambush, which the military said involved a lone gunman. Trump said the three wounded Americans "seemed to be doing pretty well." The gunman was later killed.

According to a report in Time Magazine, Syrian Interior Ministry Spokesman Noureddine el-Baba announced on Al-Ikhbariya , a state-run channel, that the gunman was a member of

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