President Donald Trump says the United States has launched large-scale strikes on ISIL targets in Syria, one week after an attack in Palmyra killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter. He said he ordered the operation to punish those responsible and described it as a precise and very successful mission.
Trump explained in a speech in North Carolina and in posts on Truth Social that the aim was to send a clear message that attacks on US personnel would bring strong retaliation. He said US forces hit every intended location and claimed the operation would help restore peace through strength.
The strikes targeted ISIL fighters, facilities, and weapons depots across central and northeastern Syria under an operation called Hawkeye Strike. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the action was a declaration of vengeance rather than the start of a new war and that many ISIL members were killed.
US Central Command said the military used fighter jets, attack helicopters, artillery, and more than 100 precision munitions against about 70 ISIL-linked sites. It said the Jordanian armed forces also supported the operation with fighter aircraft, but did not reveal casualty figures or full details of the targets.
Residents in cities such as Palmyra and Raqqa reported hearing warplanes and powerful explosions during the night of the strikes. The attacks followed a roadside assault on a joint US–Syrian convoy in Palmyra that killed three Americans and wounded three other US soldiers.
The current Syrian government, formed after the fall of Bashar al Assad’s regime in late 2024, has publicly backed the US operation. The Syrian Foreign Ministry said it remains committed to eliminating ISIL and preventing the group from having any safe haven within Syria’s borders.
Around 1,000 US troops remain in Syria as part of a long-running mission to prevent ISIL from rebuilding its networks. In recent months, a US-led coalition working with Syrian security forces has carried out air and ground raids on ISIL suspects as part of this campaign.
US officials say the operation also fits into a broader effort to help Syria move beyond years of dictatorship and conflict. Washington views defeating ISIL as essential for Syria’s transition toward a more stable and sovereign state under its new leadership.
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