The U.S. says its military has carried out a massive strike against the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria, in response to a deadly attack on American forces in the country. The U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria. Aircraft from Jordan were also involved. It said the operation employed more than 100 precision munitions targeting known IS infrastructure and weapons sites.
President Donald Trump stated we are striking very strongly against IS strongholds, following the December 13 IS ambush in the city of Palmyra in which two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter were killed.
In a statement on X, Centcom announced that Operation Hawkeye Strike was launched at 16:00 Eastern Time (21:00 GMT) on Friday. Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper remarked that the U.S. will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region.
Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), reported that at least five members of the Islamic State group were killed in eastern Syria's Deir ez Zor province, including a leader responsible for drone operations in the area.
Jordan's state-run news agency announced the Royal Jordanian Air Force's participation in the strikes to prevent extremist groups from threatening the security of Syria's neighbors and the wider region. IS has not publicly commented. The BBC was unable to immediately verify the targets.
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth characterized the operation as not the beginning of a war - it is a declaration of vengeance. If you target Americans - anywhere in the world - you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you. Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue.
Posting on Truth Social, President Trump reiterated the U.S.'s serious retaliation on the perpetrators of the attack, stating the Syrian government was fully in support.
Centcom reported that the ambush in Palmyra was executed by an IS gunman, who was engaged and killed. Another three U.S. soldiers were injured in the assault, which reportedly occurred in an area outside the control of the Syrian president. The SOHR claims the attacker was linked to the Syrian security forces.
Despite losing its last pocket of territory in Syria in 2019, the United Nations believes IS still possesses between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq. The U.S. has maintained a military presence in Syria since 2015, contributing to training local forces against IS. In a new collaboration against IS, Syria has indicated it will cooperate with the U.S. military, as evidenced by a recent meeting between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and President Trump.
President Donald Trump stated we are striking very strongly against IS strongholds, following the December 13 IS ambush in the city of Palmyra in which two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter were killed.
In a statement on X, Centcom announced that Operation Hawkeye Strike was launched at 16:00 Eastern Time (21:00 GMT) on Friday. Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper remarked that the U.S. will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region.
Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), reported that at least five members of the Islamic State group were killed in eastern Syria's Deir ez Zor province, including a leader responsible for drone operations in the area.
Jordan's state-run news agency announced the Royal Jordanian Air Force's participation in the strikes to prevent extremist groups from threatening the security of Syria's neighbors and the wider region. IS has not publicly commented. The BBC was unable to immediately verify the targets.
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth characterized the operation as not the beginning of a war - it is a declaration of vengeance. If you target Americans - anywhere in the world - you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you. Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue.
Posting on Truth Social, President Trump reiterated the U.S.'s serious retaliation on the perpetrators of the attack, stating the Syrian government was fully in support.
Centcom reported that the ambush in Palmyra was executed by an IS gunman, who was engaged and killed. Another three U.S. soldiers were injured in the assault, which reportedly occurred in an area outside the control of the Syrian president. The SOHR claims the attacker was linked to the Syrian security forces.
Despite losing its last pocket of territory in Syria in 2019, the United Nations believes IS still possesses between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq. The U.S. has maintained a military presence in Syria since 2015, contributing to training local forces against IS. In a new collaboration against IS, Syria has indicated it will cooperate with the U.S. military, as evidenced by a recent meeting between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and President Trump.
