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The United States has carried out large-scale military strikes against Islamic State (IS) fighters and weapons sites in Syria, following an attack that killed two US soldiers and an American interpreter last week.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the strikes were launched on Friday and targeted around 70 IS-linked sites across central Syria. A US official described the operation as “large-scale” and said further strikes could follow.
What the strikes involved
US officials said the attack involved multiple aircraft, including F-15 Eagle fighter jets, A-10 Thunderbolt ground-attack planes and AH-64 Apache helicopters. F-16 jets based in Jordan and HIMARS rocket artillery were also used.
The US military said the targets included IS infrastructure and weapons storage locations.
Trump and Pentagon response
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes were ordered under President Donald Trump’s leadership and were meant to send a clear message.
Earlier today, U.S. forces commenced OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces that occurred on December 13th in Palmyra, Syria.
This is not the beginning of a war — it is a…
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) December 19, 2025
“This is not the beginning of a war it is a declaration of vengeance,” Hegseth said in a post on social media. “The United States of America, under President Trump’s leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people.”
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Trump had earlier promised “very serious retaliation” for the attack, which he blamed on Islamic State fighters.
In a social media post, Trump said the strikes hit IS “strongholds” and warned the group against carrying out any further attacks on Americans.
“All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned you will be hit harder than you have ever been hit before,” Trump wrote.
US troops in Syria
The US has several hundred troops stationed in eastern Syria as part of an international coalition fighting Islamic State.
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Trump also said Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa supported the US action and was “extremely angry and disturbed” by the attack on American forces. The strikes come as cooperation between US and Syrian security forces has increased following the removal of former president Bashar Assad last year.
Syria’s response
Syria’s foreign ministry said the attack on US troops showed the need for stronger international cooperation against terrorism.
In a statement posted on X, it said Syria remained committed to fighting IS and would continue military operations to ensure the group had no safe havens.
Syrian state television reported that the US strikes hit areas in Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces, as well as the Jabal al-Amour region near Palmyra. It said the targets included IS weapons depots and command centres.
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About the deadly attack
The attack took place near the historic city of Palmyra and killed two US Army National Guard soldiers Sgt Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown. A US civilian interpreter, Ayad Mansoor Sakat, from Michigan, was also killed.
Three other US troops and several Syrian security personnel were wounded.
According to Syrian officials, the gunman was a base security guard who had joined Syria’s internal security forces two months earlier and was later suspected of links to Islamic State. He opened fire during a meeting between US and Syrian officials and was killed at the scene.
Islamic State has not claimed responsibility for the attack, though it has since claimed other assaults on Syrian security forces.
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Earlier this week, Trump met privately with the families of the slain Americans at Dover Air Force Base, ahead of a formal transfer ceremony honouring the dead.
