The United States has launched a major military operation against the Islamic State group ISIS in Syria. This comes after a deadly attack in Palmyra that killed three Americans.
CENTCOM forces launched fighter jets, attack helicopters and other assets to conduct the large-scale strike. pic.twitter.com/3szSo2u5rm
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 19, 2025
The defence secretary Pete Hegseth shared the news in a post on X. “US forces started OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE in Syria to wipe out ISIS fighters, their bases, and weapons sites,” Hegseth wrote.
Earlier today, U.S. forces commenced OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces that occurred on December 13th in Palmyra, Syria.
This is not the beginning of a war — it is a…
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) December 19, 2025
This is a direct response to the attack on US forces on 13th of December. Hegseth added, “As we said after that brutal attack, if you target Americans anywhere in the world, you will spend the rest of your short, nervous life knowing the United States will hunt you down and kill you without mercy.”
The operation follows an attack by a suspected Islamic State fighter on a convoy of US and Syrian forces in the central Syrian town of Palmyra. Two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter died in the strike. Three other US troops got wounded. The attacker was shot dead later, according to the US military.
President Trump posted on social media that the strikes hit ISIS strongholds. He also backed Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, saying he fully supports the US effort against the militant group. Trump warned in all caps: “All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned YOU WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE IF YOU, IN ANY WAY, ATTACK OR THREATEN THE U.S.A.”
As per reports, it is large-scale strike that targeted 70 sites across central Syria with ISIS infrastructure and weapons. Another US official, speaking without being named, said more strikes are coming, per the Associated Press.
The attack used F-15 Eagle jets, A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack aircraft, and AH-64 Apache helicopters. F-16 fighter jets from Jordan and HIMARS rocket artillery were also involved, one official said.
US has a ‘co-operative’ regime under former terrorist Al Sharaa
The US had no diplomatic ties with Syria under Bashar Assad. But things are warming up since the Assad family’s 50-year rule ended, according to the Associated Press.
Syria’s interim leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, made a historic trip to Washington last month. He met with President Donald Trump at the White House, the first time a Syrian head of state visited since Syria gained independence from France in 1946. This happened after the US lifted sanctions from the Assad years.
Al-Sharaa led the rebel forces that toppled Assad in December 2024. He was made the interim president of Syria with the blessings of the US government. He used to have links to al-Qaida and once had a $10 million US bounty on his head.
Last month, Syria joined the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State. Damascus is working to rebuild ties with Western nations after Assad’s fall. ISIS lost on the battlefield in Syria back in 2019, but the group stays active with sleeper cells. The United Nations estimates 5,000 to 7,000 ISIS fighters still operate across Syria and Iraq, posing a real security threat, as per the Associated Press report.
