US strikes IS group targets in Syria in response to deadly ambush in Palmyra
The United States has launched large-scale strikes against the so-called Islamic State group (IS) in Syria in retaliation for an ambush attack in Palmyra last month that killed two US soldiers and an American civilian translator.
The attacks carried out by the US together with partner forces hit many ISIS targets across Syria.
It’s been less than a month since the United States launched a similar attack. December 19, 70 targets hit In the central part of Syria, ISIS had infrastructure and weapons.
“These strikes are part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, launched and announced on December 19, 2025, at the direction of President (Donald) Trump, in direct response to ISIS’s deadly attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria, on December 13, 2025,” US Central Command said in a statement on Saturday. he said.
Last month, a deadly attack in Palmyra killed American personnel, two of whom were members of the Iowa National Guard deployed to Syria as part of the coalition fighting ISIS.
The statement said: “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.”
The ambush attack in December was a major test for relations between the United States and Syria since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad a year ago.
Trump said Syria was fighting alongside US troops and that Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Shara was “extremely angry and disturbed” by this attack, which occurred because the US military had increased cooperation with Syrian security forces.
Syria recently joined the global coalition against ISIS.
