The United States and allied forces have conducted “large-scale” strikes against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in Syria, the US military said on Saturday, in retaliation for a December attack that left three Americans dead.
Washington said the December 13 assault in Palmyra was carried out by a lone gunman linked to the militant group. The city, known for its UNESCO-listed ancient ruins and once held by jihadist fighters, saw two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter killed in the attack.
US Central Command said, “The strikes today targeted ISIS throughout Syria” and were carried out under Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched “in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra,” according to a statement posted on X, using an acronym for the group.
The command added that the latest operation followed a previous wave of strikes last month by the United States and Jordan, which targeted dozens of Islamic State positions across Syria.
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The Palmyra attack was the first of its kind since the removal of Syria’s long-time leader, Bashar al-Assad, in December 2024.
The US personnel targeted were part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the international coalition established to fight IS after it overran large swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in 2014.
While the jihadist group was later driven back by local ground forces with international air support and other assistance, IS is still believed to operate in parts of Syria, especially in the country’s expansive desert areas.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned Washington’s military involvement in Syria and had ordered a troop withdrawal during his first term, although US forces ultimately stayed on.
In April, the Pentagon said it planned to cut the number of US troops in Syria by half in the coming months, while US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said in June that the United States would eventually scale down its presence to a single base in the country.
(AFP)