The United States launched airstrikes in Syria on Saturday in response to a deadly Islamic State attack in Palmyra last month that killed two U.S. soldiers and an American civilian interpreter.
The strikes, conducted with partner forces at around 12:30 p.m. ET, hit multiple Islamic State targets across Syria, according to U.S. Central Command.
The operation follows the deaths of Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard of the Iowa National Guard, along with Ayad Mansoor Sakat, a civilian interpreter, in the December ambush.
U.S. Central Command said in a statement: “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.”
The Trump administration has named the response Operation Hawkeye Strike. A previous wave of strikes on Dec. 19 targeted 70 Islamic State sites across central Syria identified as infrastructure and weapons facilities.
The U.S. did not specify which partner forces participated in Saturday’s strikes. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have been a long-term U.S. partner, though coordination with the Syrian government has increased since the ouster of President Bashar Assad in December 2024.
A day before the strikes, Syrian officials announced they had arrested the Islamic State’s military leader for operations in the Levant. Syria has recently joined the global coalition against the group.
