Trump launches more strikes against ISIS after 3 Americans killed in Syria

The United States launched another series of coordinated airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria on Saturday in response to the ambush killing of two American soldiers and a U.S. citizen civilian interpreter in Palmyra last month.

U.S. Central Command stated that the strikes began around 12:30 p.m. ET and involved American and partner forces hitting multiple IS [also known as ISIS or ISIL] positions across Syria.

Named Hawkeye Strike, the operation is part of Washington’s military response to the Dec. 13 shooting that killed Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, during a joint mission in the historic city of Palmyra.

Both Torres-Tovar and Howard served with the Iowa National Guard and were deployed as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the ongoing international effort to combat remnants of the jihadist group. Sakat was a 34-year-old contract interpreter from Macomb, Michigan.

Saturday’s strikes were “large-scale” and conducted in coordination with allied forces, the statement said, though it did not name the specific units that participated in the operation.

"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 U.S. Central Command vowed in its statement Saturday. 

The Islamic State rose to power in 2014, conquering large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria before being pushed out of its strongholds over the course of the next several years by a U.S.-led military coalition. Though IS lost control of major strongholds, the group remains active in Syria’s desert regions. Analysts have voiced concern that IS may be attempting a comeback following the December 2024 overthrow of the former President Bashar al-Assad and the rise of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who previously led the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front terrorist group but has taken steps to distance himself from that group. 

The military response began with an earlier strike on Dec. 19 that hit 70 IS targets in central Syria, marking the first use of Hawkeye Strike. The U.S. and Jordan jointly carried out those initial attacks, which also targeted IS infrastructure and weapons depots.

The Palmyra ambush was reportedly carried out by a lone IS gunman and marked the first deadly incident involving U.S. troops in Syria since the ousting of Assad. Since then, the U.S. has expanded coordination with Damascus, which recently joined the international coalition against IS during al-Sharaa's November visit to the White House, the first-ever visit by a Syrian head of state.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who had previously ordered a troop reduction during his first term, authorized the new strikes after receiving updates on the Palmyra attack.

Syrian state media on Saturday reported the transfer of Kurdish fighters from Aleppo to Tabaqa in the country’s northeast, following a ceasefire agreement after clashes with government forces, according to sources cited by France 24 and AFP.

The fighting began earlier in the week after negotiations over Kurdish integration into the new Syrian government stalled. Government forces reportedly started shelling the Sheikh Maqsud district overnight after a ceasefire deadline passed.

By Saturday evening, buses carried surrendered Kurdish fighters out of Aleppo, while security forces accompanied families leaving the area.

Aleppo’s governor said 155,000 residents had been displaced since the start of the clashes, and local officials reported at least 21 civilian deaths.

State television said the military had halted operations in Sheikh Maqsud following the evacuation.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met with al-Sharaa on Saturday and called for renewed talks between Damascus and Kurdish leaders. He said that the violence "risks undermining the progress achieved since the fall of the Assad regime and invites external interference that serves no party’s interests."

"[T]he Syrian government has reaffirmed its commitment to the March 2025 integration agreement with the [Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces], which provides a framework for incorporating SDF forces into national institutions in a manner that preserves Kurdish rights and strengthens Syria’s unity and sovereignty," Buck wrote. "Recent developments in Aleppo that appear to challenge the terms of this agreement are deeply concerning. We urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, immediately cease hostilities, and return to dialogue in accordance with the March 10 and April 1, 2025 agreements between the Syrian government and the SDF."

Kurdish official Elham Ahmad told AFP that the administration in northeast Syria remained committed to previous agreements, but accused Syrian authorities of provoking conflict.

Flight operations at Aleppo airport were suspended through Saturday as tensions continued in surrounding areas.

Turkey, a key regional player and ally of Syria’s new government, has supported the removal of Kurdish armed factions from the frontier.

The SDF was critical in the 2019 defeat of IS and control swaths of oil-rich territory in the northeast. Their role in the new Syrian power structure remains uncertain amid ongoing disputes over decentralization and security arrangements.