Written By | International News Reporter
Centcom said the strike employed more than 100 precision-guided munitions targeting known IS infrastructure, weapons storage sites and operational facilities.
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The United States says its military has carried out a “massive strike” against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, following a deadly attack on American forces in the country.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria. Aircraft from Jordan were also involved in the operation.
Centcom said the strike employed more than 100 precision-guided munitions targeting known IS infrastructure, weapons storage sites and operational facilities.
President Donald Trump said the US was “striking very strongly” against IS strongholds after a December 13 ambush in the ancient city of Palmyra that killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter.
In a statement posted on X, Centcom, which oversees American military operations in Europe, Africa and the Indo-Pacific, said the operation—codenamed Operation Hawkeye Strike—was launched at 4:00pm Eastern Time (9:00pm GMT) on Friday.
Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the United States would continue to pursue those responsible for attacks on its forces.
“We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region,” Cooper said. 
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), told AFP that at least five IS fighters were killed in eastern Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province, including the leader of a cell responsible for drone operations in the area.
IS has not publicly commented on the strikes, and the BBC said it was unable to independently verify the targets.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation was a response to the killing of American personnel, describing it as a warning to those who target US interests.
“This is not the beginning of a war—it is a declaration of vengeance,” Hegseth said.
“If you target Americans anywhere in the world, you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you and kill you.”
Posting on Truth Social, President Trump said the US was inflicting “very serious retaliation” on those responsible for the Palmyra attack, adding that the Syrian government was “fully in support” of the operation.
Centcom earlier said the Palmyra attack was carried out by an IS gunman who was later engaged and killed. Three other US soldiers were injured in the ambush.
However, the SOHR claimed the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the identity of the gunman has not been officially released.
In 2019, a US-backed coalition of Syrian fighters declared that IS had lost the last territory it controlled in Syria. Despite this, the group has continued to carry out sporadic attacks.
The United Nations estimates that IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters across Syria and Iraq.
US troops have maintained a presence in Syria since 2015 to train allied forces as part of the international campaign against IS.
Syria recently joined a multinational coalition against the group and has pledged cooperation with the United States. In November, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa—whose coalition toppled former president Bashar al-Assad in 2024—met President Trump at the White House, describing the engagement as the start of a “new era” in bilateral relations.
