Politics US military begins retaliatory strike in Syria against IS
Following the deadly attack on three Americans in Syria, US forces have begun a retaliatory strike in the country against the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS).
20.12.2025, 00:07
SDA
This is a direct response to the attack on December 13, announced US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on X. Operation "Hawkeye Strike" was intended to destroy IS fighters, infrastructure and weapons depots. IS has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Two US soldiers and a US interpreter were killed and three soldiers were injured in last week's attack in the city of Palmyra. US President Donald Trump then announced a retaliatory strike against the terrorist militia IS. "Yes, we will strike back," he said in response to a journalist's question. He wrote on his Truth Social platform that there would be very harsh retaliatory measures.
"Today we hunted and killed our enemies"
Hegseth, who now calls himself Secretary of War, referred to what he had said immediately after the attack on the Americans in Syria: "If you attack Americans - anywhere in the world - you will spend the rest of your short, fearful life knowing that the United States will hunt you down, find you and kill you mercilessly." He continued, "Today we hunted down and killed our enemies. Many of them. And we will continue to do so." It was not clear from Hegseth's latest post how large the scale of the US operation is. It also remained unclear whether further strikes will follow. Hegseth wrote that the retaliatory strike began during the course of Friday.
Hegseth emphasized that this was not the start of a war, but a declaration of revenge. "The United States of America, under the leadership of President Trump, will never hesitate and never back down when it comes to defending our people."
The US is leading an international coalition in Syria and neighboring Iraq to fight the Islamic State terrorist militia. The operation began after IS overran large areas in both countries in 2014. IS is considered to have been militarily defeated, but IS fighters are still active in both countries and continue to carry out attacks.
