As a result of coalition strikes led by the U.S. in Syria, at least five militants of the terrorist group "Islamic State" were killed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), based in the UK, reported on Saturday, according to LETA citing DPA.
According to the head of the SOHR, Rami Abdel Rahman, a commander of the "Islamic State" group and four other militants were eliminated in Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria.
The group was responsible for drone attacks in the region.
As Abdel Rahman noted, the strikes carried out on Friday in three provinces lasted for 40 minutes. No reports of possible casualties in other areas were mentioned.
The extensive operation involved fighter jets and helicopters that targeted the infrastructure and weapon depots of the "Islamic State," SOHR reported.
Jordan, which borders Syria, confirmed on Saturday that its air force, along with the coalition, participated in "precision" strikes against terrorists in southern Syria.
On Friday, the U.S. announced the start of an operation in Syria to eliminate members of the terrorist group "Islamic State" in response to an attack that resulted in the deaths of two American servicemen and one American translator last week.
"Today, U.S. forces began Operation Hawkeye Strike in Syria with the aim of eliminating ISIS militants, infrastructure, and weapon depots in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces that occurred on December 13 in Palmyra, Syria," U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated on the platform X.
"This is not the beginning of a war — it is a statement of retribution," Hegseth wrote. "Today we hunted down and killed our enemies. Many of them. And we will continue," he added.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on the platform X that American forces "began extensive strikes on the infrastructure and weapon depots of the Islamic State in Syria."
The U.S. leads an international coalition against the "Islamic State" in Syria. This operation began after the terrorist group captured vast territories in Syria and Iraq in 2014.
The "Islamic State" is considered militarily defeated; however, its militants continue to operate in both countries and carry out attacks.
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Tonight, U.S. and Jordanian forces struck 70+ ISIS targets in Syria with 100+ precision munitions. Peace through strength. pic.twitter.com/XWWvfqBBFT
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 20, 2025
