US carries out large-scale Airstrikes on ISIS strongholds in Central Syria

The Trump administration launched military strikes Friday in Syria to “eliminate” Islamic State (IS) group fighters and weapons sites, days after an ambush attack in the Syrian desert killed two US troops and an American civilian interpreter.

A US official described the operation as a “large-scale” strike targeting around 70 locations across central Syria where IS infrastructure and weapons were believed to be located, an assessment later echoed by Syrian state media, which confirmed the airstrikes and said they hit ISIS weapons storage sites and command centres in areas including Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa and near Palmyra .

Another official said additional strikes could follow, signalling an expanded counterterrorism response rather than a one-off action.

The strikes were carried out using F-15 Eagle fighter jets , A-10 Thunderbolt ground-attack aircraft and AH-64 Apache helicopters. F-16 fighter jets operating from Jordan and HIMARS rocket artillery were also involved, according to US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the operation.

The military action raised an important question: was the United States attacking Syria in retaliation for the killing of its troops? US officials and statements from both governments indicate that the answer is no. The strikes were directed at the Islamic State group and not at Syrian government forces.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation was intended as retaliation against the militant group responsible for the attack on US personnel. “This is not the beginning of a war, it is a declaration of vengeance,” he said in a social media post, adding that the United States would not hesitate to defend its people.

President Donald Trump had earlier pledged “very serious retaliation” after the shooting, which US officials blamed on IS-linked elements. The US troops killed were among several hundred American personnel deployed in eastern Syria as part of an international coalition fighting the terrorist organisation.

In a separate social media post, Trump said the strikes targeted IS “strongholds” and stressed that the US action had the support of Syria’s leadership. He warned the group against any future attacks on American personnel, threatening far stronger retaliation if such attacks were repeated.

The strikes come at a sensitive moment for US-Syria relations following the removal of former president Bashar Assad last year. Trump said Syria was cooperating closely with US forces and described Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa as “angry and disturbed” by the attack on American troops.

Syria’s foreign ministry echoed that position, saying the incident underscored the need for stronger international cooperation to combat terrorism. In a statement posted on X, the ministry said Syria remained committed to fighting ISIS and ensuring it had no safe haven on Syrian territory.

IS has not formally claimed responsibility for the attack on US personnel, though it has claimed two subsequent attacks on Syrian security forces, including one in Idlib province that killed four Syrian soldiers. The group has repeatedly denounced Syria’s current leadership and security forces, describing them as enemies.

Syrian state television reported that the US strikes hit targets in rural areas of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces, as well as near Palmyra, focusing on weapons storage sites and command centres allegedly used by IS to launch operations.

The attack that prompted the US response occurred near the historic city of Palmyra and also wounded three American troops and several Syrian security personnel. The assailant, who was killed during the incident, had joined Syria’s internal security forces two months earlier but was recently reassigned amid suspicions of IS affiliation, according to Syrian officials.

The gunman reportedly opened fire during a lunch meeting between US and Syrian security officials after clashing with Syrian guards.

The US troops killed were identified as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar , 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard , 29, of Marshalltown. Ayad Mansoor Sakat , a US civilian interpreter from Michigan, was also killed. Trump met privately with the families of the victims earlier this week ahead of a dignified transfer ceremony in Delaware.

When asked for further operational details, the Pentagon referred queries to Hegseth’s public statement, underscoring that the strikes were framed as a counterterrorism operation rather than an attack on the Syrian state.