The U.S. military carried out strikes on several Islamic State sites in Syria on Friday, a week after two U.S. service members and one civilian were killed in an ambush linked to ISIS. The action was described as retaliation for the attack on US personnel near Palmyra on 13 December.<\/p>\n
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U.S. forces acted under what the Pentagon called Operation Hawkeye Strike, targeting ISIS fighters, weapons sites and infrastructure, according to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. He said: \u201cThis is not the beginning of a war \u2014 it is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trump\u2019s leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hegseth said the strikes were a direct response to the killings and signalled further action against those responsible. He added: \u201cAs we said directly following the savage attack, if you target Americans \u2014 anywhere in the world \u2014 you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you and ruthlessly kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Explosions were reported in the eastern Syrian city of Deir ez-Zur, with additional strikes said to have hit the eastern Raqqa desert, based on multiple social media reports. The Pentagon did not immediately provide further details on the scale of the damage.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump said the U.S. military struck \u201cvery strongly against ISIS strongholds\u201d in Syria. Writing on Truth Social, he described Syria as a \u201cplace soaked in blood which has many problems, but one that has a bright future if ISIS can be eradicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump and Hegseth said the U.S. would retaliate after two Iowa National Guard members, Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, were killed in what the US described as an ambush. A US civilian interpreter was also killed, while three other Guard members were injured.<\/p>\n
In another post on Friday, Trump warned militant groups against targeting Americans abroad. He wrote: \u201cAll terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned \u2014 YOU WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE IF YOU, IN ANY WAY, ATTACK OR THREATEN THE U.S.A.\u201d<\/p>\n
The attack near Palmyra marked the first US military casualties in Syria since the fall of the country\u2019s former leader Bashar Assad last year. The United States currently has about 1,000 troops stationed in Syria, a figure that has declined in recent years.<\/p>\n
Trump has defended maintaining a US troop presence in Syria, saying they are there to keep \u201cpeace in the Middle East, and Syria is a big part of it.\u201d He also praised Syria\u2019s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and said his government had no involvement in the December attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a rough part of the world, and it\u2019s amazing what\u2019s taken place in Syria,\u201d Trump said earlier this week. He added: \u201cWe have legitimate peace in the Middle East, first time in 3,000 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
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