After the capture of the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the Trump administration has taken another bold step. On Saturday, the US military and its allied forces performed “large-scale” strikes against the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike.
Washington stated that a single gunman from the militant group executed the December 13 assault in Palmyra, which resulted in the deaths of two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter. According to the Guardian report, Unesco-listed ancient ruins are located in the area, which was formerly under the control of jihadist fighters.
What prompted the US to launch these latest strikes against ISIS in Syria?
Taking to X, US Central Command in a statement said, “The strikes today targeted ISIS throughout Syria” and were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched “in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra.”
The two US service members killed in Syria were identified this week as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa. They were killed while engaging hostile forces in Palmyra, Syria, the US Army said. Both soldiers were assigned to the Iowa National Guard’s 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division. Three additional Iowa National Guard members were wounded in the attack.
“Today, at approximately 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces, alongside partner forces, conducted large-scale strikes against multiple ISIS targets across Syria,” reads the post.
Who were the American personnel killed in the earlier Palmyra attack?
In a statement, the US Central Command said, “The strikes today targeted ISIS throughout Syria as part of our ongoing commitment to root out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent future attacks, and protect American and partner forces in the region. U.S. and coalition forces remain resolute in pursuing terrorists who seek to harm the United States.”
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 10, 2026
Following the strikes carried out around 12:30 pm on Saturday, the US Central Command issued a strong statement saying,” Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” the statement reads.
What message does the US give?
Last month, the United States and Jordan conducted a series of previous air strikes in this same operation against hundreds of ISIS targets.
The Palmyra assault occurred for the first time since December 2024, when Syria’s longtime ruler, Bashar al-Assad, fell from power as Syria’s President. CENTCOM noted in its post that Operation Hawkeye Strike was launched and announced on December 19, 2025, at the direction of US President Donald Trump, in direct response to the ISIS attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria, on December 13, 2025 which CENTCOM said was out by an ISIS terrorist and resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and one US civilian interpreter.
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