US starts Operation Hawkeye Strike in Syria, hits 70 ISIS targets after Americans killed in Palmyra
PTC Web Desk: The United States has launched a major military offensive against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria after a deadly attack in the historic city of Palmyra killed three Americans, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced.
According to Hegseth, US forces began Operation Hawkeye Strike to destroy ISIS fighters, weapons depots and infrastructure. The operation was initiated in direct response to the December 13 assault on US personnel. In a strongly worded message posted on X, Hegseth warned that anyone targeting Americans would be relentlessly pursued and eliminated by US forces.
The strikes follow an attack in central Syria in which a suspected ISIS militant targeted a joint US-Syrian convoy near Palmyra. Two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed, while three other American troops sustained injuries. The attacker was later shot dead, the US military said.
President Donald Trump said in a social media post that the strikes were aimed at ISIS “strongholds” and added that Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa fully supported the US action. Trump also issued a sharp warning to militant groups, stating that any threat or attack against Americans would be met with overwhelming force.
US officials described the operation as a large-scale assault involving strikes on around 70 targets across central Syria linked to ISIS logistics and weaponry.
The operation involved multiple aircraft and weapons systems, including F-15 Eagle fighter jets, A-10 Thunderbolt ground-attack aircraft, AH-64 Apache helicopters, F-16 fighter jets operating from Jordan, and HIMARS rocket artillery.
US-Syria relations have begun to improve following the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime, which ruled the country for over five decades. During Assad’s time in power, Washington had no formal diplomatic ties with Damascus.
Syria’s interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa visited Washington last month, marking the first visit by a Syrian head of state to the White House since Syria gained independence in 1946. The visit followed the lifting of US sanctions imposed during the Assad era. Al-Sharaa, who led the rebel alliance that toppled Assad in December 2024, was named interim president in January. He was earlier linked to al-Qaida and had once been the subject of a $10 million US bounty.
In a significant policy shift, Syria joined the US-led international coalition against ISIS last month as it seeks to restore relations with Western countries. Although ISIS lost territorial control in Syria in 2019, the group continues to operate through sleeper cells.
The United Nations estimates that ISIS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters active across Syria and Iraq, posing an ongoing security threat in the region.
- With inputs from agencies
