The United States carried out large-scale strikes in Syria against the so-called Islamic State group (IS) in retaliation for an ambush attack in Palmyra last month that killed two US soldiers and one American civilian interpreter.
The strikes, which were conducted by the US alongside partner forces, hit multiple IS targets across Syria.
It comes less than a month after the US launched a similar attack on Dec 19, striking 70 targets across central Syria that had IS infrastructure and weapons.
"These strikes are part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched and announced on Dec 19, 2025, at the direction of President (Donald) Trump, in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria, on Dec 13, 2025," US Central Command said in a statement Saturday.
The deadly attack in Palmyra last month killed American personnel, two of whom were members of the Iowa National Guard who were deployed in Syria as part of a coalition fighting IS.
“Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” the statement concluded.
December's ambush attack had been a major test for the improving relationship between the United States and Syria since the removal of Bashar al-Assad a year ago.
Trump said Syria was fighting alongside US troops and that Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed by this attack,” which happened as the US military increases its co-operation with Syrian security forces.
Syria recently joined the global coalition against IS.
