US Strikes Over 70 Islamic State Targets in Syria After December 13 Attack

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

DAMASCUS (Worthy News) – The U.S. military carried out massive air and drone strikes against more than 70 Islamic State (ISIS) targets across central and eastern Syria, U.S. officials said, following a deadly December 13 attack on American personnel.

The retaliation strikes were launched overnight Thursday into early Friday (December 18–19) after a suspected ISIS ambush near the ancient city of Palmyra killed Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa.

Also killed was Ayad Mansoor Sakat, an American civilian interpreter working alongside U.S. forces. Three additional U.S. service members were wounded.

Pentagon officials said the operation, dubbed Operation Hawkeye Strike, targeted ISIS fighters, command-and-control centers, infrastructure, and weapons storage sites, using warplanes, drones, and precision-guided munitions.

While officials confirmed that numerous ISIS militants were killed, they declined to provide a precise death toll, citing ongoing battle-damage assessments.

DEFENSE SECRETARY: ‘OPERATION DECISIVE’

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the operation as decisive but limited. “This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance,” Hegseth said. “Today, we hunted, and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue.”

President Donald J. Trump, who had vowed swift retaliation after the December 13 attack, said earlier that those responsible would face overwhelming force.

“We will respond at a time and place of our choosing, and we will hit them hard,” Trump said, according to U.S. officials briefed on the operation.

Syrian authorities did not publicly condemn the U.S. strikes. Instead, state-aligned media and regional reports indicated that officials linked to President Bashar al‑Assad reiterated Syria’s opposition to ISIS and its stated goal of preventing the extremist group from re-establishing safe havens on Syrian territory.

U.S. officials stressed the strikes were defensive in nature, aimed at protecting American forces and preventing ISIS from regrouping amid ongoing instability. About 1,000 U.S. troops remain deployed in Syria as part of counter-terrorism operations.

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