US launches ‘large-scale’ attacks on IS in Syria after deadly ambush | ISIL/ISIS News

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The US military says the strikes are a response to an ISIL ambush that killed three US soldiers in Palmyra last month.

The United States has carried out a new series of “large-scale” attacks against ISIL or the ISIS group in Syria following an ambush on them. killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the town of Palmyra last month.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Saturday that the attacks took place around 1730 GMT and hit “multiple ISIS targets across Syria”.

“Our message remains strong: If you harm our fighters, we will find and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to escape justice,” CENTCOM said.

The statement did not specify whether anyone was killed in the strikes.

Grainy aerial video accompanying the statement, posted on X, showed several separate explosions, apparently in rural areas.

CENTCOM said the attacks were carried out alongside partner forces, without specifying which forces participated.

The United States calls the response to the Palmyra attacks Operation Hawkeye Strike. The December 13 ambush involved a lone gunman, who the Syrian Interior Ministry said was a member of the security forces and should be fired because of his harsh views.

The US military launched Operation Hawkeye Strike on December 19, with a large-scale strike that hit 70 targets in central Syria with ISIL infrastructure and weapons.

He declared on December 30 that his forces had killed or captured approximately 25 ISIL fighters after the launch of Operation Hawkeye Strike.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have for years been the United States’ main partner in the fight against ISIS in Syria, but since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Washington has stepped up coordination with the central government in Damascus.

Syria joined the global coalition against ISIL after reaching a deal late last year, during Syrian President Ahmed‍al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House.

Syrian officials said last month that Taha al-Zoubi, a leading ISIL figure, had been arrested in the Damascus countryside.

US President Donald Trump has long been skeptical of Washington’s presence in Syria, ordering troop withdrawals during his first term but ultimately leaving US forces in the country.

About 1,000 American troops remain in Syria.

The US military said it would further reduce the number of US troops in Syria and eventually reduce its bases in the country to just one.