The US military has conducted a “large-scale” retaliatory operation across central Syria, targeting dozens of Islamic State sites following a deadly insider attack that killed three Americans last week.
The United States launched Operation Hawkeye Strike on Friday evening (19 December), hitting more than 70 ISIS targets in central Syria with over 100 precision munitions. Pentagon officials described the mission as a direct response to the December 13 assassination of two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the historic town of Palmyra. President Donald Trump, who attended the dignified transfer of the fallen Americans earlier this week, called the strikes a “very serious retaliation” against “murderous terrorists.”
The operation, named after the “Hawkeye State” of Iowa, home to the two fallen soldiers, was a massive display of air and ground power. US Central Command deployed F-15E Strike Eagles, A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack planes, and AH-64 Apache helicopters, backed by HIMARS rocket artillery. The Jordanian Air Force also provided fighter aircraft to assist in the strikes, which targeted known ISIS infrastructure, weapons storage facilities, and fighter camps.
The targets were spread across the Homs desert, eastern Raqqa, and western Deir ez-Zor provinces. According to military officials, the operation was “flawless,” aimed at degrading the group’s ability to inspire or conduct further attacks on US personnel. This escalation comes as roughly 1,000 US troops remain in Syria to prevent a resurgence of the jihadist group following the fall of the Assad regime last year.
The Triggering Incident
The retaliation stems from a brutal insider attack on December 13. A member of the Syrian internal security forces, who was reportedly being processed for dismissal due to “extremist ideas,” opened fire during a joint meeting between US and Syrian officials in Palmyra. The attack killed:
- Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar (25) of Des Moines, Iowa.
- Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard (29) of Marshalltown, Iowa.
- Ayad Mansoor Sakat (54), a US civilian interpreter from Michigan.
Three other American soldiers and a Syrian officer were wounded. The gunman was shot dead at the scene.
“This is not the beginning of a war it is a declaration of vengeance,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated. “If you target Americans anywhere in the world you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you. Today, we hunted, and we killed our enemies. Lots of them.”
President Trump added that the Syrian government, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, was “fully in support” of the effort to wipe out ISIS, saying: “All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned YOU WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE.”
Operation Hawkeye Strike marks the most significant US military action in Syria since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024. While the new Syrian government is cooperating with Washington, the presence of “sleeper cells” and radicalized recruits within its new security forces remains a serious challenge. In the week leading up to these strikes, US and partner forces had already conducted 10 operations resulting in the death or detention of 23 ISIS operatives.
While the Pentagon said the main wave of the strike has wrapped up, officials warned that more actions could follow if the threat continues. The remains of Sgts. Howard and Torres-Tovar are expected to be returned to Iowa this weekend for final services, as the state remains under a flag-lowering order in their honor.
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