With Syria's new leadership emerging as a key U.S. partner, American troops in the country find themselves amid a complex pivot.

The Department of War told Fox News Digital it is aware of reports that American troops have come under fire Saturday in the central Syrian town of Palmyra.

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

An assailant opened fire at Syrian and U.S. forces on Saturday during a visit by American troops to a historic central town, leaving several wounded, Syria’s state media and a war monitor said. The shooting took place near Palmyra,