The United States has announced a substantial military operation against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, following a lethal assault on American forces within the region. According to the U.S. Central Command (Centcom), the intensive operation involved fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery striking over 70 targets in central Syria, with assistance from Jordanian aircraft. The comprehensive strike utilized more than 100 precision munitions aimed at key IS infrastructure and weapons locations.
President Donald Trump stated, 'We are striking very strongly' against IS strongholds after the IS ambush on December 13 in Palmyra, which resulted in the deaths of two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter. In a statement on X, Centcom, responsible for American military operations in Europe, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific, detailed that Operation Hawkeye Strike commenced at 16:00 Eastern Time (21:00 GMT) on Friday.
Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper emphasized that the U.S. will 'relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region.' Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), reported at least five IS members were killed, including a cell leader for drones in the Deir ez Zor province of eastern Syria. IS has not issued a public response, and the BBC has been unable to verify the targets independently.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remarked that the operation 'is not the beginning of a war - it is a declaration of vengeance.' He warned that targeting Americans anywhere in the world will lead to a relentless pursuit by the United States. 'Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue,' Hegseth added.
The U.S. Army identified the soldiers killed as Sgt Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, 25, and Sgt William Nathaniel Howard, 29. Posting on Truth Social, President Trump affirmed that the U.S. is delivering 'serious retaliation' as promised, with support from the Syrian government. Centcom earlier explained that an IS gunman, who carried out the attack in Palmyra, was 'engaged and killed,' while three other U.S. soldiers were injured in the ambush. Although a Pentagon official mentioned the attack occurred in an area outside Syrian governmental control, the SOHR described the attacker as a member of the Syrian security forces. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident, and the gunman's identity remains undisclosed.