News AgencyUS carries out \u2018massive\u2019 strike against IS in Syria
\n Syria
\nThe US says its military has carried out a \u201cmassive strike\u201d against the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria, in response to a deadly attack on American forces in the country.
\nThe US Central Command (Centcom) said fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery \u201cstruck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria\u201d. Aircraft from Jordan were also involved.
\nIt said the operation \u201cemployed more than 100 precision munitions\u201d targeting known IS infrastructure and weapons sites.
\nPresident Donald Trump said \u201cwe are striking very strongly\u201d against IS strongholds, following the 13 December IS ambush in the city of Palmyra in which two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter were killed.
\nIn a statement on X, Centcom \u2013 which directs American military operations in the Middle East, north-east Africa, central and southern Asia \u2013 said Operation Hawkeye Strike was launched at 16:00 Eastern Time (21:00 GMT) on Friday.
\nCentcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper said that the US \u201cwill continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region\u201d.
\nRami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), told news agency AFP that \u201cat least five members of the Islamic State group were killed\u201d in eastern Syria\u2019s Deir ez Zor province, including the leader of a cell responsible for drones in the area.
\nPetra, Jordan\u2019s state-run news agency, announced the Royal Jordanian Air Force had participated in the strikes to \u201cprevent extremist groups\u201d from \u201cthreaten[ing] the security of Syria\u2019s neighbours and the wider region\u201d.
\nIS has not publicly commented. The BBC was unable to immediately verify the targets.
\nUS Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation \u201cis not the beginning of a war – it is a declaration of vengeance.
\n\u201cIf 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 ruthlessly kill you.
\n\u201cToday, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue,\u201d the US defence secretary added.
\nPosting on Truth Social, President Trump said the US \u201cis inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible\u201d.
\nHe said the Syrian government was \u201cfully in support\u201d.
\nCentcom earlier said that the deadly attack in Palmyra was carried out by an IS gunman, who was \u201cengaged and killed\u201d.
\nAnother three US soldiers were injured in the ambush, with a Pentagon official saying that it happened \u201cin an area where the Syrian president does not have control.\u201d
\nAt the same time, the SOHR said the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces.
\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the identity of the gunman has not been released.
\nIn 2019, a US-backed alliance of Syrian fighters announced IS had lost the last pocket of territory in Syria it controlled, but since then the jihadist group has carried out some attacks.
\nThe United Nations says the group still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
\nUS troops have maintained a presence in Syria since 2015 to help train other forces as part of a campaign against IS.
\nSyria has recently joined an international coalition to combat IS and has pledged to co-operate with the US.
\nIn November, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa – a former jihadist leader whose coalition forces toppled Bashar al-Assad\u2019s regime in 2024 – met Trump at the White House, describing his visit as part of a \u201cnew era\u201d for the two countries.
\nSyria
\nThe US says its military has carried out a \u201cmassive strike\u201d against the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria, in response to a deadly attack on American forces in the country.
\nThe US Central Command (Centcom) said fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery \u201cstruck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria\u201d. Aircraft from Jordan were also involved.
\nIt said the operation \u201cemployed more than 100 precision munitions\u201d targeting known IS infrastructure and weapons sites.
\nPresident Donald Trump said \u201cwe are striking very strongly\u201d against IS strongholds, following the 13 December IS ambush in the city of Palmyra in which two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter were killed.
\nIn a statement on X, Centcom \u2013 which directs American military operations in the Middle East, north-east Africa, central and southern Asia \u2013 said Operation Hawkeye Strike was launched at 16:00 Eastern Time (21:00 GMT) on Friday.
\nCentcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper said that the US \u201cwill continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region\u201d.
\nRami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), told news agency AFP that \u201cat least five members of the Islamic State group were killed\u201d in eastern Syria\u2019s Deir ez Zor province, including the leader of a cell responsible for drones in the area.
\nPetra, Jordan\u2019s state-run news agency, announced the Royal Jordanian Air Force had participated in the strikes to \u201cprevent extremist groups\u201d from \u201cthreaten[ing] the security of Syria\u2019s neighbours and the wider region\u201d.
\nIS has not publicly commented. The BBC was unable to immediately verify the targets.
\nUS Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation \u201cis not the beginning of a war – it is a declaration of vengeance.
\n\u201cIf 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 ruthlessly kill you.
\n\u201cToday, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue,\u201d the US defence secretary added.
\nPosting on Truth Social, President Trump said the US \u201cis inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible\u201d.
\nHe said the Syrian government was \u201cfully in support\u201d.
\nCentcom earlier said that the deadly attack in Palmyra was carried out by an IS gunman, who was \u201cengaged and killed\u201d.
\nAnother three US soldiers were injured in the ambush, with a Pentagon official saying that it happened \u201cin an area where the Syrian president does not have control.\u201d
\nAt the same time, the SOHR said the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces.
\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the identity of the gunman has not been released.
\nIn 2019, a US-backed alliance of Syrian fighters announced IS had lost the last pocket of territory in Syria it controlled, but since then the jihadist group has carried out some attacks.
\nThe United Nations says the group still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
\nUS troops have maintained a presence in Syria since 2015 to help train other forces as part of a campaign against IS.
\nSyria has recently joined an international coalition to combat IS and has pledged to co-operate with the US.
\nIn November, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa – a former jihadist leader whose coalition forces toppled Bashar al-Assad\u2019s regime in 2024 – met Trump at the White House, describing his visit as part of a \u201cnew era\u201d for the two countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
News AgencyUS carries out \u2018massive\u2019 strike against IS in Syria Syria The US says its military has carried out a \u201cmassive strike\u201d against the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria, in response to a deadly attack on American forces in the country. The US Central Command (Centcom) said fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery \u201cstruck […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":521194,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-521170","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n