U.S. Launches Attacks On ISIS In Syria
12/19/2025
Samuel Clifford
The United States launched a broad wave of strikes across Syria on Friday, hitting dozens of ISIS‑linked sites. This is in direct response to the December 13 attack from ISIS that killed two American soldiers and a U.S. interpreter. According to multiple officials, the operation involved fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, and artillery targeting locations across central Syria. U.S. Central Command described the action as a “massive strike” and made clear it was retaliatory.
The attack that prompted the response occurred in Palmyra, where Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar of the Iowa National Guard, along with interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat, were ambushed by a lone gunman while supporting a local leader. Three additional Iowa National Guard soldiers were wounded and later evacuated. President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended the dignified transfer for the fallen at Dover Air Force Base earlier this week.
In the days after the attack, both Trump and Hegseth promised a forceful response. Trump vowed “very serious retaliation,” while Hegseth said the United States would “avenge these fallen Americans with overwhelming force.” On Friday, Hegseth announced that U.S. forces had begun “Operation Hawkeye Strike,” named for the soldiers’ home state of Iowa, with the stated goal of eliminating ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites. “Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies,” he wrote on X. “Lots of them. And we will continue.” The White House echoed that message, saying the president was delivering on his promise to respond.
The screenshot to the right was taken directly from the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth X account. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) / X
Officials told CNN the strikes hit dozens of ISIS‑connected targets, including weapons storage facilities and infrastructure nodes, and that partner nations such as Jordan joined the operation. Hegseth described the mission as a “declaration of vengeance,” saying the United States would not hesitate to defend its personnel. U.S. and partner forces had already conducted ten operations in the days following the attack, resulting in the death or detention of roughly 23 individuals. Electronics recovered during those missions provided intelligence that helped shape Friday’s targeting.
Questions remain about the attacker’s affiliations. Syria’s Ministry of Interior Affairs has claimed the gunman was part of Syria’s Internal Security service, and both U.S. and Syrian officials acknowledged that his ties to ISIS are not fully established. ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the attack. Syrian officials believed the gunman might have been tied to ISIS because he had been abruptly reassigned within Syria’s Internal Security forces after superiors noticed behavior consistent with ISIS infiltration patterns, including unexplained absences, irregular communication, and attempts to avoid standard vetting procedures.
The deaths of Howard and Torres Tovar have weighed heavily on the Iowa National Guard. Both soldiers served with the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division. Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborne said the Guard’s priority is supporting the families of the fallen and wounded, noting that the entire organization is grieving the loss. Roughly 1,800 Iowa National Guard soldiers deployed to the Middle East earlier this year as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the ongoing mission to counter ISIS remnants.
Hundreds of U.S. troops remain in Syria as part of that mission, which began when ISIS seized large areas of Syria and Iraq in the mid‑2010s. Although the group no longer holds territory, officials say its remaining networks continue to pose a threat. According to U.S. officials, the goal of Operation Hawkeye is to deliver a significant blow to those remnants and reduce their ability to target American forces. As of Friday evening, the operation was still underway.
Sources:
Cohen, Zachary, and Haley Britzky. “US Conducts Strikes in Syria in Response to Attack That Killed Two American Soldiers.” CNN, 19 Dec. 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/19/politics/us-strikes-isis-targets-syria.
Watson, Eleanor, James LaPorta, and Charlie D’Agata. “U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets in Syria, after 3 Americans Killed Last Week.” CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025, https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/u-s-strikes-isis-targets-in-syria-after-3-americans-killed-last-week/.