The United States launches a “large-scale” attack on the “Islamic State” organization in Syria

The United States says its forces have launched a “massive strike” against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria in response to deadly attacks on U.S. forces in the country.

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery “struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations in central Syria.” Planes from Jordan were also involved.

The statement said the operation “used more than 100 precision munitions” and targeted known Islamic State infrastructure and weapons sites.

“We are striking very hard” at ISIS strongholds, President Donald Trump said after an ISIS ambush in the city of Palmyra on December 13. Two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. civilian translator were killed.

Central Command, which directs U.S. military operations in Europe, Africa and the Indo-Pacific, said in a statement on X that Operation Hawkeye was launched at 16:00 ET (21:00 GMT) on Friday.

Gen. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said the United States “will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners in the region.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegers said the operation was “not the beginning of a war, but a declaration of revenge.”

“If you target Americans — anywhere in the world — you will spend the rest of your short, anxious life knowing that the United States will hunt you down, find you and kill you mercilessly.

“Today, we hunted and killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue to do so,” the US defense secretary added.

President Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the United States “is exacting very serious retaliation against murderous terrorists, just as I promised.”

He said the Syrian government had “full support.”

Meanwhile, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OBHR) said ISIS strongholds near the cities of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor were attacked.

A prominent Islamic State leader and several militants were allegedly killed.

IS has not commented publicly. The BBC could not immediately verify the targets.

Central Command said earlier that the deadly attack in Palmyra was carried out by an Islamic State gunman who was “killed.”

Three other U.S. soldiers were wounded in the ambush, which a Pentagon official said took place “in an area beyond the control of the Syrian president.”

Meanwhile, SOHR said the attackers were members of the Syrian security forces.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the identity of the gunman has not yet been released.

In 2019, the US-backed coalition of Syrian militants announced the establishment of ISIS has lost the last territory it controlled in Syria But the jihadist group has since launched some more attacks.

The United Nations says the group still has 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.

U.S. troops have been in Syria since 2015, helping to train other forces as part of the campaign against the Islamic State.

Syria recently joined the international coalition fighting the Islamic State and pledged to cooperate with the United States.

In November, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa – a former jihadist leader whose coalition overthrew Bashar Assad’s regime in 2024 – met Trump at the White House and called his visit part of a “new era” for both countries.