The U.S. military launched airstrikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in retaliation for an attack on U.S. personnel, U.S. officials said on Friday.
President Donald Trump had vowed to retaliate after an attack on U.S. personnel last weekend in Syria by a suspected Islamic State member.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strikes targeted “ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites” and said the operation was “OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE.”
“This is just not the start of a war — it’s a declaration of vengeance,” Hegseth said. “Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. A number of them. And we are going to proceed,” he added.
Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strikes were against dozens of Islamic State targets across central Syria.
Two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed on Saturday within the central Syrian town of Palmyra by an attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces before being shot dead, in line with the U.S. military. Three other U.S. soldiers were also wounded within the attack.
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A U.S.-led coalition has carried out airstrikes and ground operations in Syria targeting Islamic State suspects in recent months, often with the involvement of Syria’s security forces.
About 1,000 U.S. troops remain in Syria.
The Syrian Interior Ministry has described the attacker as a member of the Syrian security forces suspected of sympathizing with Islamic State.
Syria’s government is now led by former rebels who toppled leader Bashar al-Assad last 12 months after a 13-year civil war, and includes members of Syria’s former Al Qaeda branch who broke with the group and clashed with Islamic State.
Syria has been cooperating with a U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, reaching an agreement last month when President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House.