The U.S. armed forces carried out air strikes on Friday against dozens of ISIS targets in Syria in response to an attack that killed three American service members near the city of Palmyra over the weekend, U.S. Central Command said. The operation, dubbed “Hawkeye Strike,” marked the most extensive U.S. military action against ISIS in Syria in several years and comes amid a historic rapprochement between the Trump administration and Syria’s new government. President Donald Trump said that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa supports the operation.
The strikes began at around 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A significant share of the targets was located in northeastern Syria, in the Deir ez-Zor area near the Iraqi border, as well as near Raqqa in the north of the country and Homs in central Syria. According to CENTCOM, roughly 70 targets were hit, including ISIS infrastructure and weapons storage sites. The operation involved fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery, with more than 100 precision-guided munitions employed. CENTCOM also said that Jordan’s armed forces provided aerial support. Since the December 13 attack that killed U.S. service members, the United States and partner forces have conducted ten operations against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, which, according to the command, resulted in the killing or detention of 23 militants.
Pete Hegseth said in a statement that the strikes were aimed at “eliminating ISIS fighters, their infrastructure, and weapons facilities.” “This is not the beginning of a war—it is a declaration of retribution,” he said. Donald Trump, for his part, described the operation as “a very serious response to the actions of deadly terrorists responsible for the killing of three American soldiers in Syria.” He added that while Syria faces many problems, the country could have a brighter future if ISIS is destroyed. He also said that “the Syrian government, led by a man who is working very hard to restore Syria’s greatness,” shares that objective. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump also issued a warning: "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."
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