--- title: "US forces launch strikes on ISIS in Syria in retaliation for the death of 2 soldiers" description: "The large-scale ground and air campaign against multiple ISIS sites comes in response to last weekend's attack that killed two US soldiers." date: "2025-12-19" modified: "2025-12-19" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/us-syria-operation-hawkeye-strike/" categories: - "Around the World" - "Middle East" - "News" tags: - "adsafety" - "central command" --- # US forces launch strikes on ISIS in Syria in retaliation for the death of 2 soldiers ![U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Dec. 19, 2025) A U.S. Airman prepares an A-10 Thunderbolt II for flight from a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 19, in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike. (U.S. Air Force photo)]() *Crews prepare an A-10 Warthog as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike against ISIS in Syria. Air Force photo.* U.S. forces launched a “large-scale strike” against multiple Islamic State-controlled sites in Syria on Friday, U.S. Central Command announced. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and U.S. Central Command announced the strikes, dubbed “Operation Hawkeye Strike” late Friday afternoon, saying it in response to last weekend’s shooting in Palmyra, Syria that [killed two Iowa Army National Guard soldiers]() and a civilian translator. The strikes include ground artillery barrages and airstrikes. The focus is, according to Hegseth, “eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites.” American forces hit more than 70 targets at "multiple locations across central Syria," CENTCOM said in a subsequent statement .Photos shared to the military’s Defense Visual Information Distribution Service show Army M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (or HIMARS) being moved for the operation, and GBU-31 munitions loaded onto F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets specifically for Operation Hawkeye Strike. The operation also included assets, F-16s, A-10 Warthogs and Apache helicopters. CENTCOM said that more than 100 precision munitions were used in the campaign. Jordanian fighter jets also participated in the operation. It’s unclear how many ISIS fighters have been killed so far. “This operation is critical to preventing ISIS from inspiring terrorist plots and attacks against the U.S. homeland,” CENTCOM head Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement. “We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region.” Operation Hawkeye Strike is the largest response by the United States since the shooting at Palmyra on Dec. 13. A single gunman, recently hired as a guard by the Syrian state and since suspected of being an ISIS member, opened fire on an American delegation as it met with Syrian officials in Palmyra. The attack killed Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, as well as civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat and left many other Americans and Syrians wounded. The gunman was killed by partner forces. Since Dec. 13, American troops and partner forces in Iraq and Syria have carried out extensive raids in both countries, arresting or killing multiple members of ISIS. Last weekend the U.S. Air Force flew multiple F-16s and A-10s over Palmyra, in support of ground operations. U.S. forces have been carrying out intensive operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria for months as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. In late November, U.S. troops and members of the Syrian military [carried out]() four days of attacks targeting ISIS munitions storage sites in the country. *This is a developing story.* ***Update: 12/19/2025;** This story was updated with additional figures and statements provided by CENTCOM.* ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()