US military strikes Islamic State group targets in Syria, officials say

US Central Command (Centcom) announced that US and partner forces carried out large-scale attacks against ISIS targets in Syria.

U.S. President Donald Trump directed Saturday’s strikes, part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, in retaliation for the Islamic State group’s deadly Dec. 13 attack on U.S. forces in Syria, Centcom wrote on X.

According to Centcom, the attacks were carried out to combat terrorism and protect American and partner forces in the region.

“Our message remains strong: If you harm our warriors, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” CENTCOM said.

Speaking to BBC’s US partner CBS News, a US official said that US and partner forces fired more than 90 precision munitions at more than 35 targets in the operation, in which more than 20 aircraft, including F-15Es, A-10s, AC-130Js, MQ-9s and Jordanian F-16s, participated.

The location of the attack and the extent of loss of life are not yet clear.