US carries out large-scale retaliatory strikes against ISIS in Syria, officials say

WASHINGTON – The US military launched airstrikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Dec 19 in retaliation for an attack on US personnel, US officials said.

President Donald Trump had vowed to retaliate after an attack
on US personnel last weekend in Syria by a suspected Islamic State member.

Mr Trump said on Dec 19 that the US military had launched “very serious retaliation” against the Islamic State group in Syria following an attack that left three Americans dead.

“I am hereby announcing that the United States is inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible,” Mr Trump said on his Truth Social network.

“We are striking very strongly against ISIS strongholds in Syria, a place soaked in blood which has many problems, but one that has a bright future if ISIS can be eradicated,” he wrote, using an acronym for the group.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strikes targeted “ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites” and said the operation was OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE.

“This is not the beginning of a war – it is a declaration of vengeance,” Mr Hegseth said. “Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue,” he added.

Two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strikes were against dozens of Islamic State targets across central Syria.

Two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed
on Dec 13 in the central Syrian town of Palmyra by an attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces before being shot dead, according to the US military. Three other U.S. soldiers were also wounded in the attack.

A US-led coalition has carried out airstrikes and ground operations in Syria targeting Islamic State suspects in recent months, often with the involvement of Syria’s security forces.

About 1,000 US troops remain in Syria.

The Syrian Interior Ministry has described the attacker as a member of the Syrian security forces suspected of sympathising with Islamic State.

Syria’s government is now led by former rebels who toppled leader Bashar al-Assad in 2024 after a 13-year civil war, and includes members of Syria’s former Al Qaeda branch who broke with the group and clashed with Islamic State.

Syria has been cooperating with a US-led coalition against Islamic State, reaching an agreement in November when President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House. REUTERS, AFP