US launches massive airstrike against Isis targets in Syria, Trump calls it 'serious retaliation'

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that the country launched a massive military strike against ISIS targets in Syria. The attack occurred a week after two American soldiers and an interpreter were killed in Syria’s Palmyra city.

“Because of ISIS’s vicious killing of brave American Patriots in Syria… I am hereby announcing that the United States is inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Friday.

In the post, the American leader said that the Syrian government, which was formed after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, was “fully in support” of the US military operation. Meanwhile, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed the strikes, reiterating its commitment to combating ISIL (ISIS) and intensifying military operations against the group.

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Earlier, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said that the strikes targeted “ISIS [ISIL] fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites” and said the operation was named Operation Hawkeye Strike. “This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance,” Hegseth said in a post on social media. “Today, we hunted, and we killed our enemies—lots of them. And we will continue,” he averred.

Details awaited

Details of the targets that were hit and the casualty figures are yet to be confirmed. However, the US military’s Central Command ( CENTCOM) has said it will be releasing more information soon. Meanwhile, reporters in Washington also noted that it appeared that the Syrian government had “signed off” on the US operation.

The strikes are taking place after three Americans, including two US National Guard members and a civilian interpreter, were killed last weekend in the central Syrian town of Palmyra by an attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces before being shot dead. Three other American soldiers were also wounded in the attack.

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It is pertient to note that about 1,000 American troops are stationed in Syria as part of a years-long operation targeting the remnants of ISIL forces in the region. In recent months, a US-led coalition has also carried out air strikes and ground operations in Syria targeting ISIL suspects.

The strikes on ISIS targets have been made possible because the Syrian government, which is now led by former rebels who toppled the al-Assad regime, has been cooperating in the US-led fight against ISIL, reaching an agreement last month on cooperation when the country’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House to meet Trump.