The US and its partner forces have carried out large-scale strikes against Islamic State (IS) group targets in Syria, the US Central Command (Centcom) has announced.
US President Donald Trump directed the strikes on Saturday, which are part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, in retaliation for IS's deadly attack on US forces in Syria on 13 December, Centcom wrote on X.
The strikes were conducted in an effort to combat terrorism and protect US and partner forces in the region, according to Centcom.
Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice, Centcom stated.
The US and its partner forces fired more than 90 precision munitions at over 35 targets in an operation involving more than 20 aircraft, including F-15Es, A-10s, AC-130Js, MQ-9s, and Jordanian F-16s.
The location of the strikes and the extent of any casualties remains unclear.
We will never forget, and never relent, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X regarding this military action.
This operation had been in planning stages since the Trump administration announced it back in December following an IS shooting that killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra, Syria.
Hegseth referred to this operation as a declaration of vengeance and affirmed the United States will never hesitate to defend its personnel.
Prior to this weekend's strikes, US forces reported killing or capturing nearly 25 IS group members in 11 missions as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike between December 20 and December 29.
Syria has been in a fragile state since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024, which concluded 13 years of civil war that devastated the country. The Islamic State has been significantly weakened but still poses a threat, particularly to Kurdish-led forces in the northeastern part of Syria.
