Following teh deaths of three U.S. citizens-including two service members-in a recent attack near palmyra, Syria, the United States military launched a series of retaliatory strikes against ISIS targets within the country on Friday. U.S. Central Command reported over 70 targets were hit using a combination of fighter jets,attack helicopters,and artillery,signaling a swift response to the incident and a continued commitment to counterterrorism efforts in the region. The strikes come as ISIS maintains a presence in Syria despite territorial losses, and highlight the ongoing risks faced by U.S. personnel supporting local operations against the group.
The United States launched a series of strikes against Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Syria on Friday, December 19th, in response to an attack that killed three U.S. citizens, including two service members, over the weekend.
According to a statement released by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Saturday, December 20th, the U.S. military struck more than 70 targets at various locations in central Syria using fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery.
“This operation utilized over 100 precision munitions targeting ISIS infrastructure and known sites,” CENTCOM stated.
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CENTCOM also reported that U.S. forces and their allies have conducted 10 operations in Syria and Iraq resulting in the deaths or detentions of 23 militants following the attack in Palmyra. The affiliation of these militants was not immediately disclosed.
U.S. officials said a lone ISIS gunman carried out the December 13th attack in the Palmyra area – home to ancient ruins listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site previously held by ISIS fighters – killing two U.S. service members and one U.S. civilian.
The U.S. citizens killed in the Palmyra attack were identified as Iowa National Guard sergeants William Howard and Edgar Torres Tovar, and a civilian, Ayad Mansoor Sakat from Michigan, who worked as a translator.
The attack that claimed the lives of the three U.S. citizens marked the first such incident since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December of last year. Noureddine al-Baba, a spokesperson for the Syrian Interior Ministry, stated that the perpetrator was a member of the security forces slated for dismissal due to “Islamist extremist ideologies.”
The U.S. personnel targeted in the attack were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the international effort to combat ISIS, which seized large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq in 2014.
While ISIS has been territorially defeated by local forces supported by international air strikes and other assistance, the group maintains a presence in Syria.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry, in a post on social media platform X, stated that the country remains committed to fighting ISIS, although it did not directly comment on Friday’s strikes.
The ministry affirmed that Syria “ensures that the group has no safe haven in Syrian territory, and will continue to intensify military operations against it wherever the group poses a threat.”
Trump Issues Stern Warning
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military had delivered a “very serious” response against Islamic State militants in Syria following the attack that killed three Americans. Trump warned that anyone who attacks or threatens the U.S. would be hit “much harder.”
“I have ordered the United States to launch a very serious retaliation against the terrorist killers responsible,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, according to AFP.
“We struck very hard against ISIS strongholds in Syria, a place that is bloodstained and has many problems, but has a bright future if ISIS can be eradicated,” he added.
Trump further issued a stark warning to anyone, particularly terrorists, who attack or threaten the United States.
“All terrorists who dare to attack American citizens with this will be warned – YOU WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE IF YOU, IN ANY WAY, ATTACK OR THREATEN THE UNITED STATES,” he stated.
At Least 5 ISIS Militants Killed in U.S. Strikes in Syria
At least five Islamic State (ISIS) militants were killed in U.S. military strikes in Syria, in retaliation for the weekend attack that killed three U.S. citizens.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported to AFP on Saturday, December 20th, that the U.S. strikes resulted in casualties in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor.
“At least five members of the Islamic State group were killed,” Rahman said in a statement to AFP.
One of those killed, according to Rahman, was a leader of an ISIS cell responsible for drone operations in the area.
A Syrian security source told AFP that the U.S. strikes targeted ISIS cells in the vast desert area of Badia, including in the provinces of Homs, Deir Ezzor, and Raqa. The source said the strikes did not involve ground operations.
Most of the targets, according to the source, were located in mountainous areas stretching north of Palmyra, towards Deir Ezzor.
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