The United States, in coordination with partner forces, has executed extensive strikes against Islamic State (IS) group targets within Syria, according to a statement released by U.S. Central Command (Centcom).
These strikes, authorized by U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday and conducted under Operation Hawkeye Strike, are a response to the IS group’s lethal assault on U.S. forces in Syria on December 13, Centcom announced via X.
Centcom stated the strikes aim to counter terrorism and safeguard U.S. and allied forces operating in the region.
“Our message remains unequivocal: any harm inflicted upon our warfighters will be met with decisive action to locate and neutralize those responsible, regardless of their attempts to evade justice,” Centcom asserted.
According to an official who spoke with CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. partner, the U.S. and its partners deployed over 90 precision-guided munitions against more than 35 targets, utilizing a fleet of over 20 aircraft.
The official further indicated that participating aircraft included F-15Es, A-10s, AC-130Js, MQ-9s, and Jordanian F-16s.
Details regarding the specific locations targeted and the extent of casualties remain unconfirmed.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth affirmed on X Saturday, “We will neither forget, nor relent,” referencing the military operation.
The Trump administration initially announced Operation Hawkeye Strike in December, following an IS gunman’s killing of two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter in an ambush in Palmyra, central Syria.
“This is not the commencement of a war; it is a declaration of retribution,” Hegseth stated during the operation’s announcement in December.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States of America will not hesitate nor waver in its commitment to defending our people.”
Prior to Saturday’s strikes, U.S. forces neutralized or apprehended nearly 25 IS group members across 11 missions conducted between December 20 and December 29 as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, Centcom reported.
In the operation’s inaugural mission on December 19, U.S. and Jordanian forces executed a “massive strike” against the IS group, deploying fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery to engage “over 70 targets at multiple locations throughout central Syria,” according to Centcom.
That operation, it noted, “employed more than 100 precision munitions” targeting known IS infrastructure and weapons caches.
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