Hegseth plans campaign to remove ISIS fighters from Syria
U.S. forces carried out air and artillery strikes on Friday in central Syria, targeting a network of Islamic State sites and weapon caches. The operation, described by a U.S. official as a “large‑scale” effort, struck 70 locations in the Deir ez‑Zor, Raqqa and Jabal al‑Amour regions. United States Central Command said more than 100 precision munitions were deployed from aircraft and rocket launchers.
The attacks were launched in response to an ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter a week earlier. The dead were Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres‑Tovar, 25, of Des Moines; Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown; and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, 59, of Macomb, Michigan, who worked as an interpreter. The gunman was also killed, and three U.S. troops were wounded.
President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly announced the retaliation. The president called the operation a declaration of vengeance and pledged that any future attacks on Americans would be met with even stronger force. They emphasized U.S. support for Syrian President Ahmad al‑Sharaa.
The U.S. stated it intends to continue additional strikes in the area, and officials said the campaign would extend beyond the initial round. The administration has also focused on building a naval presence in the Caribbean to target drug smuggling and sanctioned vessels, but the Syria strikes marked a significant shift of military resources back to the region.
Syria’s foreign ministry issued a statement on X saying the attack highlighted the urgency of international cooperation to fight terrorism and pledged continued action against ISIS. State television reported that the U.S. strikes hit weapons storage sites and headquarters used by ISIS, and noted the group’s ongoing hostility toward the Syrian government.