US Air Pressure/ReutersThe US says its navy has carried out a “huge strike” towards the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria, in response to a lethal assault on American forces within the nation.
The US Central Command (Centcom) stated fighter jets, assault helicopters and artillery “struck greater than 70 targets at a number of places throughout central Syria”. Plane from Jordan had been additionally concerned.
It stated the operation “employed greater than 100 precision munitions” concentrating on recognized IS infrastructure and weapons websites.
President Donald Trump stated “we’re hanging very strongly” towards IS strongholds, following the 13 December IS ambush within the metropolis of Palmyra through which two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter were killed.
In an announcement on X, Centcom, which directs American navy operations in Europe, Africa and the Indo-Pacific, stated Operation Hawkeye Strike was launched at 16:00 Japanese Time (21:00 GMT) on Friday.
Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated that the US “will proceed to relentlessly pursue terrorists who search to hurt Individuals and our companions throughout the area”.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated the operation “will not be the start of a warfare – it’s a declaration of vengeance.
“When you goal Individuals – wherever on this planet – you’ll spend the remainder of your transient, anxious life figuring out the USA will hunt you, discover you, and ruthlessly kill you.
“At the moment, we hunted and we killed our enemies. A number of them. And we’ll proceed,” the US defence secretary added.
US Air Pressure/ReutersPosting on Reality Social, President Trump stated the US “is inflicting very severe retaliation, simply as I promised, on the murderous terrorists accountable”.
He stated the Syrian authorities was “totally in assist”.
In the meantime, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OBHR) stated IS positions close to the cities of Raqqa and Deir ez Zor had been focused.
It stated {that a} outstanding IS chief and various fighters had been killed.
IS has not publicly commented. The BBC was unable to confirm the targets instantly.
Centcom earlier stated that the lethal assault in Palmyra was carried out by an IS gunman, who was “engaged and killed”.
One other three US troopers had been injured within the ambush, with a Pentagon official saying that it occurred “in an space the place the Syrian president doesn’t have management.”
On the similar time, the SOHR stated the attacker was a member of the Syrian safety forces.
No group has claimed duty for the assault, and the id of the gunman has not been launched.
ReutersIn 2019, a US-backed alliance of Syrian fighters introduced IS had lost the last pocket of territory in Syria it controlled, however since then the jihadist group has carried out some assaults.
The United Nations says the group nonetheless has between 5,000 and seven,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
US troops have maintained a presence in Syria since 2015 to assist prepare different forces as a part of a marketing campaign towards IS.
Syria has lately joined a global coalition to fight IS and has pledged to co-operate with the US.
In November, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa – a former jihadist chief whose coalition forces toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime in 2024 – met Trump on the White Home, describing his go to as a part of a “new period” for the 2 nations.
