Pentagon Announces Launch of Operation Against ISIS in Syria in Response to Palmyra Attack

Washington (United States) (AFP) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on Friday the launch of a military operation against the Islamic State organization in Syria in response to an attack that killed three Americans.

Hegseth said in a post on the X platform, "U.S. forces have begun Operation 'Eagle Strike' in Syria to eliminate fighters, infrastructure, and weapons storage sites of the Islamic State, in direct response to the attack targeting U.S. forces on December 13."

He added, "Today we hunted down enemies and killed them. Many of them. And we will continue to do so."

Shortly after the Pentagon's announcement, Trump described the operation in a post on his social network Truth Social as a "very harsh retaliatory response," adding, "We are delivering very strong strikes against ISIS strongholds in Syria."

The U.S. military announced that fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery struck more than 70 targets across central Syria on Friday in the operation against ISIS sites.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated in a statement, "We will relentlessly continue to pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners throughout the region."

A Syrian security source told AFP that airstrikes were carried out in the Badia region near the countryside of Homs and in rural areas near Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa.

The identity of the man who killed the three Americans in the Palmyra desert area was identified as a security officer affiliated with the Ministry of Interior who was scheduled to be dismissed, according to security sources. This incident has highlighted the security challenges facing the new authority.

ISIS controlled the city of Palmyra in 2015 and 2016 during its expansion in the Syrian Badia, before losing it later following government forces' attacks supported by Russia, and then to the U.S.-led international coalition by 2019.

Damascus officially joined the international coalition against ISIS during the visit of transitional Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharrah to Washington last month.

U.S. forces are mainly deployed in Kurdish-controlled areas in northeastern Syria, in addition to the Al-Tanf base near the Jordanian border, where Washington focuses its military presence on combating ISIS and supporting its local allies.

The Pentagon announced in April that the United States would reduce its forces in Syria by half, although the current total number of troops is not officially known.