The Pentagon stated that over 70 ISIS targets in Syria were struck by the U.S. The attacks were conducted in coordination with Damascus, DW reports.
U.S. military forces struck targets of the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria on the night of Saturday, December 20. ISIS militants, as well as the group's infrastructure and weapon storage facilities, were attacked, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset wrote on social media platform X.
The targeted sites were located in central regions of Syria, with more than 70 targets hit in total, AFP reported, citing a Pentagon representative. According to Al Hadath TV, missiles were launched from one of the U.S. bases towards the provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Homs. The strikes were also carried out using fighter jets and attack helicopters.
The operation conducted was named "Hawkeye Strike" by the Pentagon. This is not a one-time operation by the U.S. in the Middle Eastern country in recent months - American forces have been conducting such attacks in coordination with the temporary Syrian authorities ruling the country after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Hegset: The Attack on ISIS in Syria is Not a Declaration of War, But Retribution
According to Hegset, the U.S. attack was a response to an ISIS militant's attack on a joint patrol of Syrian security services and American soldiers that occurred on December 13 in Palmyra. At that time, according to media reports, two U.S. Army servicemen, a civilian translator - also American - and two Syrians were killed. Additionally, three American soldiers were injured. The ambush on the patrol was organized by a lone militant, who was killed by return fire.
"This is not the beginning of a war - this is a declaration of vengeance… As we stated immediately after the brutal attack, if you attack Americans - anywhere in the world - you will spend the rest of your short, troubled life knowing that the United States will hunt you down, find you, and kill you ruthlessly," Hegset commented on the U.S. attack on ISIS.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump promised the Islamist group a "very serious" response to the attack. He also noted that Washington was in contact with Damascus - from his statement, it was implied that the Syrian authorities would not hinder the U.S. response to the actions of the militants.
Syria Under New "Visa Ban" by Trump
On December 16, Trump expanded the list of countries whose citizens are completely banned from entering U.S. territory. The new restrictions, which will take effect on January 1, 2026, will affect 20 countries and territories - including Syria, as well as Palestinians who have received documents from the Palestinian National Authority.
Trump had previously imposed a ban on entry into the U.S. for Syrians during his first presidential term. He claimed that it was an "extremely successful" measure that prevented terrorist attacks in the U.S. At the same time, in early November, Trump hosted the temporary president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Washington, whom the U.S. State Department had only a day before his arrival in the country removed from the terrorist list. Al-Sharaa's visit to the White House went without the scandals that sometimes characterize the American leader.
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