US-Syria Crisis: Everything We Know About Operation Hawkeye So Far
As part of Operation Hawkeye, the US military targeted weapons sites, command centres and logistical positions linked to ISIS in Syria.
The United States forces carried out large-scale air and ground strikes on more than 70 Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday, the officials said. The attacks followed an earlier strike on American troops in the region. The officials described the military action, named Operation Hawkeye, as a retaliatory operation aimed at degrading ISIS capabilities.
“Earlier today, US forces commenced Operation Hawkeye Strike in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on US forces that occurred on Dec. 13 in Palmyra, Syria,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on X.
On Dec. 13, two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in an attack on a convoy of American and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Reuters reported. The attacker was shot dead. Three other US soldiers were wounded. About 1,000 US troops remain in Syria.
In his statement, Hegseth announced that Operation Hawkeye was not “the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance.”
“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 ruthlessly kill you,” he added.
Operation Hawkeye
As part of retaliatory Operation Hawkeye, the US military targeted weapons sites, command centres and logistical positions linked to the terrorist group. The strikes began at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday.
According to President Donald Trump, the US was inflicting "very serious retaliation." He said that Syria’s president supported US military action against the militant group.
US Central Command said the strikes hit more than 70 targets across central Syria, with support from Jordanian fighter jets. In the mission, F-15 and A-10 aircraft, Apache helicopters and HIMARS rocket systems were used. The military said the operation employed more than 100 precision munitions against known Islamic State infrastructure and weapons sites. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that IS positions near Raqqa and Deir ez Zor were hit. The group said a senior IS leader and several fighters were killed in the strikes, according to the BBC.
A US-led coalition has continued air and ground operations against ISIS in recent months. These missions often involve coordination with Syrian security forces. Syria’s current government is led by former rebels who ousted President Bashar al-Assad last year after a 13-year civil war.
