U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media in Washington, DC, U.S., on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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The U.S. army launched large-scale strikes towards dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in retaliation for an assault on American personnel, U.S. officers mentioned.
A U.S.-led coalition has been finishing up airstrikes and floor operations in Syria focusing on Islamic State suspects in current months, typically with the involvement of Syria’s safety forces.
President Donald Trump had vowed to retaliate after a suspected ISIS assault killed U.S. personnel final weekend in Syria.
Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned the strikes focused “ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons websites” and that the operation was “OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE.”
“This isn’t the start of a conflict — it’s a declaration of vengeance,” Hegseth mentioned. “Right this moment, we hunted and we killed our enemies. A number of them. And we are going to proceed,” he added.
Trump mentioned on social media that the Syrian authorities totally supported the strikes and that the U.S. was inflicting “very severe retaliation.”
At a speech in North Carolina on Friday evening, Trump known as it a “large” blow towards the ISIS members that the U.S. blames for the Dec. 13 assault on coalition forces.
“We hit the ISIS thugs in Syria. … It was very profitable,” Trump mentioned at a rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
U.S. Central Command mentioned the strikes hit greater than 70 targets throughout central Syria, including that Jordanian fighter jets supported the operation.
One U.S. official mentioned the strikes had been carried out by U.S. F-15 and A-10 jets, together with Apache helicopters and HIMARS rocket programs.
Syria reiterated its steadfast dedication to combating Islamic State and making certain that it has “no protected havens on Syrian territory,” in keeping with an announcement by the international ministry.
Two U.S. Military troopers and a civilian interpreter had been killed on Saturday within the central Syrian city of Palmyra by an attacker who focused a convoy of American and Syrian forces earlier than being shot useless, in keeping with the U.S. army. Three different U.S. troopers had been additionally wounded within the assault.
About 1,000 U.S. troops stay in Syria.
The Syrian Inside Ministry has described the attacker as a member of the Syrian safety forces suspected of sympathizing with Islamic State.
Syria’s authorities is led by former rebels who toppled chief Bashar al-Assad final 12 months after a 13-year civil conflict, and consists of members of Syria’s former Al Qaeda department who broke with the group and clashed with Islamic State.
Syria has been cooperating with a U.S.-led coalition towards Islamic State, reaching an settlement final month when President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White Home.
