The United States military said Saturday that it hit multiple Islamic State targets across Syria in another retaliatory strike in response to an attack that killed American service members.
A statement from U.S. Central Command did not identify locations or targets in Saturday’s strikes. It also did not provide an account of casualties. The Pentagon referred questions on the attack to Centcom’s statement.
The latest action was part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched last month by President Donald Trump in response to a deadly Dec. 13 attack on a joint U.S.-Syria security patrol that officials blamed on the Islamic State militant group.
“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,” the statement from Centcom said.
Earlier Saturday, Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, posted on X that he had met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus to discuss a path forward for the country.
Sharaa was once imprisoned by U.S. forces in Iraq and went on to lead Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliate until his rebel formation, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, severed ties with the group in 2017. As the new Syrian president, however, he has made strong relations with the U.S. a priority as his country emerges from a long civil war.
Without mentioning the impending strikes, Barrack said that the U.S. government was extending its support to the Syrian government as it sought to stabilize the nation and that it will lift sanctions to “give Syria a chance.”
“The United States has long supported efforts to defeat ISIS and promote stability in Syria,” Barack wrote.
Trump vowed to retaliate for the Dec. 13 attack at a fortified base in Palmyra, which killed two U.S. service members and an American civilian interpreter.
The attacker, identified by Centcom as a “lone gunman” and a member of the Islamic State, was killed by “partner forces,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the time.
In response, the U.S. military said in late December that it had killed seven Islamic State members and captured more than a dozen. The missions to kill or capture the fighters occurred from Dec. 20 to Dec. 29 and directly followed large-scale U.S. and Jordanian airstrikes Dec. 19 that hit more than 70 Islamic State targets across the country.
During a visit by Sharaa to the White House in November, the Trump administration said that Syria had joined the anti-Islamic State global coalition.
Since the Palmyra assault, Syria’s Interior Ministry has initiated raids targeting the Islamic State in several provinces, including operations it said swept up several leaders in Damascus province and in the country’s southwest.
Tara Copp and Kareem Fahim contributed to this report.
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