If You Target Americans, We Will Ruthlessly Kill You: US Launches Operation Hawkeye Strike Against IS In Syria
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strikes targeted "ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites". Image courtesy: RNA
Not a beginning of a war but a declaration of war, the United States after confirming a “massive strike” against Islamic State (IS) targets across central Syria. The US on Friday (December 19, 2025) announced the same, launching one of its most expansive operations against the group in recent years.
The action follows a December 13, 2025 ambush in the ancient city of Palmyra, in which two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter were killed. According to US Central Command (Centcom), the operation, codenamed Operation Hawkeye Strike, began at 16:00 Eastern Time (21:00 GMT) on Friday and involved fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery, with aircraft from Jordan also participating.
Operation Hawkeye Strike: Scale and targets of the operation
Centcom said the US and partner forces struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations, employing over 100 precision-guided munitions. The strikes targeted known IS infrastructure, weapons depots and operational sites, reflecting a broad attempt to degrade the group’s remaining capabilities.
The US military has not released detailed assessments of damage or casualty figures yet.
Washington’s message: Deterrence and retaliation
President Donald Trump described the strikes as a forceful response to the Palmyra attack, saying the US was “striking very strongly” against IS strongholds. Posting on Truth Social, he said Washington was delivering “very serious retaliation” against those responsible.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth framed the operation as punitive rather than escalatory. “This is not the beginning of a war—it is a declaration of vengeance,” he said, adding that the US would continue to hunt those who target Americans. Using even stronger words, he statedm “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.
Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper echoed that message, saying US forces would “relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region.”
Casualties and competing accounts
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that at least five IS members were killed in eastern Syria’s Deir ez Zor province, including the leader of a cell responsible for drone operations in the area.
IS has not publicly commented on the strikes.
There are also conflicting accounts of the Palmyra ambush itself. Centcom has said the attacker was an IS gunman who was later killed, while SOHR claimed the assailant was a member of the Syrian security forces. No group has claimed responsibility, and the attacker’s identity has not been made public.
Three additional US soldiers were injured in the attack, which a Pentagon official said took place in an area outside the Syrian government’s control.
Why IS remains a threat
Although a US-backed coalition declared in 2019 that IS had lost the last territory it controlled in Syria, the group has continued to carry out attacks. The United Nations estimates that IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters spread across Syria and Iraq, operating largely through sleeper cells and hit-and-run tactics.
US troops have been deployed in Syria since 2015, primarily to train and support local forces as part of the campaign against IS.
Syria recently joined an international coalition to combat IS and has pledged to cooperate with the US. President Trump said the Syrian government was “fully in support” of the latest operation. The strikes come amid a shifting political backdrop. In November, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose coalition ousted Bashar al-Assad in 2024, met Trump at the White House, describing the engagement as part of a “new era” in US-Syria relations.
