Trump Announces Launch of 'Retaliatory Strike' Against ISIS in Syria

Shortly after the Pentagon announced the launch of a large-scale military operation, the US President wrote on his platform "Truth Social," "We are delivering very strong strikes against ISIS strongholds in Syria."

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on X, "US forces have begun Operation 'Eagle Strike' in Syria to eliminate fighters, infrastructure, and weapons storage sites of ISIS."

Hegseth described the operation as a "direct response" and a "declaration of revenge" following the attack that killed three Americans—two soldiers and an interpreter—in Syria on Saturday, saying, "Today we hunted down our enemies and killed them. Many of them. And we will continue to do so."

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a statement, "More than 70 targets across central Syria were struck by fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery."

The CENTCOM statement specified the operation began at 16:00 on Friday Washington time (21:00 GMT), adding that "more than 100 types of precision-guided munitions" were used against ISIS-controlled sites.

- "No Safe Havens"

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

A local official reported that the explosions were followed by "the fall of medium-caliber shrapnel" in the Badia southwest of Raqqa, adding that these areas are under Syrian government control.

Shortly after the US airstrikes, the Syrian Foreign Ministry confirmed in a Saturday statement "Syria's firm commitment to combating ISIS and ensuring there are no safe havens for it on Syrian soil," without directly mentioning the strikes.

It affirmed that Syrian authorities "will continue to intensify military operations against the organization in all threatened areas."

CENTCOM noted that since the Saturday attack on its forces, "The United States and its allied forces have conducted 10 operations in Syria and Iraq resulting in the killing or arrest of 23 terrorist elements," without specifying the groups to which the militants belong.

The First Attack

The attacker who killed three Americans in the Palmyra area was identified as a member of the security forces who was due to be dismissed for holding "takfiri or extremist ideas," according to the Interior Ministry spokesman.

This incident is the first of its kind since a coalition of opposition factions overthrew the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad in December last year and revived the country's relations with the United States.

ISIS controlled the city of Palmyra in Homs province twice between May 2015 and March 2017 before the Syrian army, supported by its ally Russia, managed to expel them.

During its control of the city, ISIS fighters destroyed part of its UNESCO-listed heritage sites and carried out executions of civilians and military personnel.

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

US forces are mainly deployed in areas controlled by Kurdish fighters in northern and 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 the number of US troops in Syria by half, noting that the current total number of forces is not officially known.