• Syrian govt describes attack on US convoy as “terrorist attack”.
• Syria arrests 11 security members after killing of US personnel.
• Washington says deadly attack carried out by Daesh militant.
  

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Syria’s interior ministry on Sunday said the gunman who killed three Americans in the central Palmyra region the previous day was a member of the security forces who was to have been fired for extremism.

Two US troops and a civilian interpreter died in what the Syrian government described as a “terrorist attack” on Saturday, while Washington said it had been carried out by a Daesh militant who was then killed.

The Syrian authorities “had decided to fire him” from the security forces before the attack for holding extremist ideas and had planned to do so on Sunday, interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba told state television.

A Syrian security official told AFP on Sunday that “11 members of the general security forces were arrested and brought in for questioning after the attack”.

The official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the gunman had belonged to the security forces “for more than 10 months and was posted to several cities before being transferred to Palmyra”.

Palmyra, home to Unesco-listed ancient ruins, was controlled by Daesh at the height of its territorial expansion in Syria.

The incident is the first of its kind reported since the ouster of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December last year.

US President Donald Trump vowed “very serious retaliation” following Saturday’s attack.

A Syrian defence ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity that prior to the attack, US forces had “arrived by land from the direction of the Al-Tanf military base” in southeastern Syria, near the border with Jordan.

“The joint Syrian-American delegation first toured the city of Palmyra, then proceeded to the T-4 airbase before returning to a base in Palmyra”, the source added.

A Syrian military official who requested anonymity said on Saturday that the shots were fired “during a meeting between Syrian and American officers” at a Syrian base in Palmyra.

However, a Pentagon official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP that the attack “took place in an area where the Syrian president does not have control.”

Warnings

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the soldiers “were conducting a key leader engagement” in support of counterterrorism operations when the attack occurred, while US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said the ambush targeted “a joint US-Syrian government patrol”.

Trump called the incident a Daesh attack “against the US, and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them”.

He said the three other US troops injured in the incident were “doing well”.

The official SANA news agency said the attack also wounded two members of the Syrian security forces.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus “strongly condemns the terrorist attack”.

In an interview on state television on Saturday, Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Anwar al-Baba said there had been “prior warnings from the internal security command to allied forces in the desert region”.

The international coalition forces did not take the Syrian warnings of a possible Daesh infiltration into consideration, he said.

Daesh seized swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in 2014 during Syria’s civil war, before being territorially defeated in the country five years later.

Its fighters still maintain a presence, however, particularly in Syria’s vast desert.

Last month, during Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s historic visit to Washington, Damascus formally joined the US-led global coalition against Daesh.

US forces are deployed in Syria’s Kurdish-controlled northeast as well as at Al-Tanf near the border with Jordan.

The bystander, who displayed an example of bravery by tackling and disarming a gunman who indiscriminately opened fire at Australia’s Bondi Beach on a Jewish holiday event that killed 11 people, has been identified as Ahmed el Ahmed. 

Videos circulating on social media showed a man in a car park wearing a white shirt running up to a man in a dark shirt who is holding a rifle.

He then tackles the armed man from behind, wrenching the rifle from him with his hands before pointing the gun back at the man.

The video then shows the man in a dark shirt losing his footing, backing away towards a bridge where another shooter was located, while the bystander places the gun down on the ground.

During his incredible act of courage, Ahmed was hit by at least two bullets himself.

Ahmed’s cousin, identified only as Mustafa, spoke to Seven News outside St George Hospital, where he is undergoing surgery. Mustafa confirmed that Ahmed had taken on the gunman and later sustained bullet wounds to his upper arm and his hand.

“He’s in hospital, and we don’t know exactly what’s going on inside,” Mustafa said, adding: “We do hope he will be fine. He’s a hero 100%.”

Ahmed is from Sydney’s Sutherland Shire and owns a fruit business. He has no known experience with guns and was visiting Bondi when he saw the shooting unfolding, Seven News reported. 

The footage of the bystander’s actions spread quickly on social media as people praised the man for his bravery, saying his actions had potentially saved many lives. His identity was not immediately known.

Addressing a press conference, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the actions of Australians who had “run towards danger in order to help others.

“These Australians are heroes, and their bravery has saved lives,” he said.

Chris Minns, the Premier of New South Wales state, where Sydney is located, said it was the “most unbelievable scene I’ve ever seen”.

One suspected gunman was killed, and another was in a critical condition following the shooting, and police said they were investigating whether a third gunman was involved.

Police were investigating whether a third gunman was involved in the shooting, and a bomb-disposal unit was working on several suspected improvised explosive devices, Lanyon said.

Mike Burgess, a top Australian intelligence official, said one of the suspected attackers was known to authorities but had not been deemed an immediate threat.

— With additional information from Reuters

World leaders queued up on Sunday to express their horror and revulsion at a mass shooting which killed 12 people at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach.

One suspected gunman was killed and another was in a critical condition, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told a press conference. At least 29 people injured, including two police officers, were taken to hospital, he said.

Police were investigating whether a third gunman was involved in the shooting, and a bomb-disposal unit was working on several suspected improvised explosive devices, Lanyon said.

Mike Burgess, a top Australian intelligence official, said one of the suspected attackers was known to authorities but had not been deemed an immediate threat.

Following are comments from world leaders in the wake of the deadly shooting:

‘Dark moment’

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the tragic shooting, conveying condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to those injured.

In a statement issued on X, President Zardari said that Pakistan, having itself suffered greatly from terrorism, fully understands the pain and trauma such attacks inflict on societies.

He condemned violence against innocent civilians and expressed solidarity with the people and Government of Australia at this difficult time, reiterating Pakistan’s principled stance against terrorism in all its forms.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on his official X account expressed deepest condolences to the victims of the tragic “terrorist attack”.

“Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations… we stand in solidarity with the people and Government of Australia in this difficult time,” he wrote.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the “shocking and distressing” attack, which Australian police dubbed a “terrorist” incident, was “beyond comprehension” as assailants fired on a gathering celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

“At this dark moment for our nation, our police and security agencies are working to determine anyone associated with this outrage.”

Sussan Ley, opposition leader of Australia, said: “Australians are in deep mourning tonight, with hateful violence striking at the heart of an iconic Australian community, a place we all know so well and love, Bondi.”

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she was “shocked” at the shooting, which the bloc´s top diplomat condemned as an “appalling act of violence.”

“Europe stands with Australia and Jewish communities everywhere. We are united against violence, antisemitism and hatred,” von der Leyen, the European Commission President, wrote on X.

“This appalling act of violence against the Jewish community must be unequivocally condemned,” added EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer lamented what he termed “deeply distressing news from Australia. The United Kingdom sends our thoughts and condolences to everyone affected by the appalling attack in Bondi beach.”

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack and vowed that France would “fight relentlessly against antisemitic hatred.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on X she felt “profound grief regarding the dramatic news arriving from Sydney.

“By once again firmly condemning all forms of violence and anti-semitism, Italy expresses its own condolences for the victims,” Meloni added.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, also in a post to X, said: “I am deeply shocked by the terrorist attack in Sydney — an act of hatred directed against all Jews worldwide on the first day of Hanukkah. My thoughts are with the families of those murdered, the injured and the Jewish community.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on X that his country “stands in solidarity with Australia in the face of the brutal terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, Sydney, which targeted the Jewish community.”

“Terror and hatred must never prevail – they must be defeated everywhere and every time,” he said.

A major Australian Muslim organisation condemned the “horrific” shooting.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said, “Australia and New Zealand are closer than friends, we’re family. I am shocked by the distressing scenes at Bondi, a place that Kiwis visit every day.”

“My thoughts, and the thoughts of all New Zealanders, are with those affected.”