Name: U.S. hits ISIS in Syria with large retaliatory strikes
Uploaded: 2025-12-20T15:58:30.450Z
Duration: 2 min 10 s
Description: The U.S. military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday (December 19) in retaliation for an attack on American personnel, U.S. officials said.

The U.S. military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday (December 19) in retaliation for an attack on American personnel, U.S. officials said.

Damascus

The United States military carried out large-scale airstrikes against more than 70 Islamic State targets in central Syria, following an attack on American personnel. The operation, supported by Jordanian fighter jets and named Operation Hawkeye Strike, was described by US officials as a precise and successful retaliation.

US President Donald Trump stated that the strikes were a response to the killing of two US soldiers and an interpreter in Palmyra, and noted that the Syrian government fully supported the action. Around 1,000 US troops remain in Syria, where the US-backed government, formed after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, has been cooperating with the US-led coalition against ISIS.

U.S. hits ISIS in Syria with large retaliatory strikes

The US military launched extensive strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday, said US officials, who added the strikes came in retaliation for an attack on American personnel. The US Central Command released video on Friday of what it said was the military striking more than 70 targets across central Syria with Jordanian fighter jets supporting the operation. Reuters was not able to independently verify the location or the date when the video was filmed. Speaking at a rally in North Carolina on Friday night, US President Donald Trump called the attacks a massive blow against the ISIS members the US blames for a December 13th attack on coalition forces in the central Syrian town of Palmyra. We hit the ISIS thugs in Syria who were trying to regroup after their decimation by the Trump administration five years ago, we hit them hard. I ordered a massive strike on the terrorists that killed our three great patriots last week, two soldiers, one interpreter, all great people. And it was very successful, it was precision. We hit every site flawlessly and we are restoring peace through strength all over the world. The US-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes and ground operations in Syria targeting Islamic State suspects in recent months, often with the involvement of Syria's security forces. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes targeted ISIS fighters, infrastructure and weapons sites and that the operation was Operation Hawkeye Strike. Trump said on social media that the Syrian government fully supported the strikes and that the US was inflicting very serious retaliation. About 1,000 US troops remain in Syria. The US government is led by former rebels who toppled leader Bashar al-Assad last year 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 US-led coalition against Islamic State, with an agreement reached last month when President Ahmed al-Shara visited the White House.

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