The US military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Syria on Friday in retaliation for an attack on US personnel. US President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed the news about "Operation Hawkeye Strike" through their social media posts.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said, “US forces commenced OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on US forces that occurred on December 13th in Palmyra, Syria.”
He said this is “not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance.”
“As we said directly following the savage attack, 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,” Pete Hegseth posted on X on Saturday.
He added, “Today, we hunted, and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue.”
US President Donald Trump announced on his TRUTH social media platform that the “United States is inflicting very serious retaliation.”
He wrote, “Because of ISIS’s vicious killing of brave American Patriots in Syria, whose beautiful souls I welcomed home to American soil earlier this week in a very dignified ceremony, I am hereby announcing that the United States is inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible.”
“We are striking very strongly against ISIS strongholds in Syria, a place soaked in blood which has many problems, but one that has a bright future if ISIS can be eradicated,” Trump said.
“The Government of Syria, led by a man who is working very hard to bring Greatness back to Syria, and is fully in support,” he added.
Trump further posted that all terrorists “who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned — YOU WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE IF YOU, IN ANY WAY, ATTACK OR THREATEN THE U.S.A.”
The Trump administration launched "large-scale" military strikes on Friday in Syria in retaliation for an ambush attack that killed two US troops and an American interpreter almost a week ago.
Two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed on Saturday in the central Syrian town of Palmyra by an attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces before being shot dead, according to the US military. Three other US soldiers were also wounded in the attack.
The Syrian Interior Ministry described the attacker as a member of the Syrian security forces suspected of sympathising with the Islamic State.
IS has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack on the US service members, but the group claimed responsibility for two attacks on Syrian security forces since, one of which killed four Syrian soldiers in Idlib province.
A US official described it as “a large-scale” strike that hit 70 targets in areas across central Syria that had IS infrastructure and weapons, the Associated Press reported.
Another US official told the AP that more strikes should be expected.
The attack was conducted using F-15 Eagle jets, A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack aircraft and AH-64 Apache helicopters, the officials said. F-16 fighter jets from Jordan and HIMARS rocket artillery also were used, one official said.
“This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trump's leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people,” Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on social media.
About 1,000 U.S. troops remain in Syria.
American sanctions on Syria trace back to the 1970s, when Washington labeled the country a state sponsor of terrorism. Additional punitive measures were imposed in the past 14 years as civil war ravaged Syria, and Mr. al-Assad’s brutal crackdown intensified.
Syria's government is now led by former rebels who toppled leader Bashar al-Assad last year after a 13-year civil war, and includes members of Syria's former Al Qaeda branch who broke with the group and clashed with Islamic State.
Syria has been cooperating with a U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, reaching an agreement last month when President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House.
