Syria
In this US Army photo taken from an undisclosed location on December 19, 2025, an US Army AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter prepares to support Operation Hawkeye Strike in the US Central Command area of responsibility. Photo: US Air Force
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States military has carried out a large-scale aerial campaign against Islamic State (ISIS) positions across Syria in retaliation for a deadly attack last week that killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday.
According to CENTCOM, the strikes targeted ISIS hideouts, infrastructure, and weapons sites in multiple locations across central Syria following a December 13 ambush near Palmyra.
“Tonight, U.S. and Jordanian forces struck more than 70 ISIS targets in Syria with over 100 precision munitions,” the US military said in a post on X.
CENTCOM said the operation involved fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery, with support from the Jordanian Armed Forces, which contributed fighter aircraft. “The operation employed more than 100 precision munitions targeting known ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites,” the statement added.
US President Donald Trump praised the operation during a speech in North Carolina on Friday evening, calling it a “massive strike” aimed at preventing ISIS from regrouping.
“We hit them hard,” Trump said. “It was very successful, and it was precise. We hit every side flawlessly, and we are restoring peace through strength all over the world.”
The December 13 attack took place in Syria’s central Homs province as US forces were conducting what the Pentagon described as a “key leader engagement” in support of ongoing counter-ISIS and counterterrorism operations. In addition to the fatalities, three US soldiers and two Syrian security personnel were wounded, according to the Pentagon and Syrian state media.
CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper described the latest operation as “critical to preventing ISIS from inspiring terrorist plots and attacks against the U.S. homeland.”
“We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region,” Cooper said.
CENTCOM noted that since the Palmyra attack, US and partner forces have conducted 10 operations in Syria and Iraq, resulting in the deaths or detention of 23 ISIS operatives.
Over the past six months, US and partner forces in Syria have carried out more than 80 operations aimed at eliminating militants posing a direct threat to US and regional security, the military said.
Syria officially joined the US-led coalition against ISIS in November following a landmark meeting between President Trump and Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House, the first such encounter with a Syrian president in more than eight decades.
ISIS seized vast areas of Syria and Iraq in 2014 but was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019, two years after its defeat in Iraq. Despite its losses, the group has continued to carry out insurgent attacks and has sought to reestablish its presence.
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