U.S. Begins Striking Syria After THREE (3) Americans Killed In Ambush Attack
UPDATE: President Trump just issued the following statement on Truth Social: “Because of ISIS's vicious killing of brave American Patriots in Syria, whose beautiful souls I welcomed home to American soil earlier this week in a very dignified ceremony, I am hereby announcing that the United States is inflicting very serious retaliation, just as | promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible. We are striking very strongly against ISIS strongholds in Syria, a place soaked in blood which has many problems, but one that has a bright future if ISIS can be eradicated. The Government of Syria, led by a man who is working very hard to bring Greatness back to Syria, and is fully in support. All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned — YOU WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE IF YOU, IN ANY WAY, ATTACK OR THREATEN THE U.S.A.”
The United States military has begun a large-scale attack against Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria following the ambush and death of three (3) Americans last week in Palmyra, Syria. This was announced a short while ago this evening (Friday 19th December, 2025) by U.S. Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth.
In a statement on X, Hegseth said, “Earlier today, U.S. forces commenced OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces that occurred on December 13th in Palmyra, Syria. This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trump’s leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people.”
He added, “As we said directly following the savage attack, if you target Americans — anywhere in the world — you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you. Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue.”
A U.S. military official confirmed that dozens of targets were being struck by U.S. F-15 and A-10 warplanes, Apache attack helicopters and Himars rockets.
The operation is being dubbed “Hawkeye Strike” in honor of the Iowa National Guard soldiers who were killed and wounded in the ambush in Syria that the Trump administration has blamed on ISIS.
While the gunman that ambushed the Americans was killed in the attack, President Trump vowed on Sunday (14th December, 2025) to take military action against the group. “There will be a lot of damage done to the people that did it. They got the person, the individual person, but there will be big damage done,” Trump said at the time.
Earlier this week, the U.S. and its regional partners carried out a series of raids in Iraq and Syria that led to the death of three (3) militants and the detention of twenty (20) more. Those operations, a U.S. military official said, yielded intelligence that facilitated today’s strikes.
The ambush attack on 13th December, 2025 took place at a fortified facility of the Internal Security Command, Syria's main domestic security force, near Palmyra. Two (2) soldiers from the Iowa National Guard were killed and three (3) others were wounded — a rare lethal assault against U.S. personnel in the country. A U.S. civilian working as an interpreter was also killed. A Syrian Officer was killed and two (2) others injured, according to Syria's Interior Ministry.
The ambush was widely seen as an effort to disrupt the growing co-operation on counterterrorism between the Trump administration and Syria's new President, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Syrian authorities last week blamed the ambush on a member of Syria's security forces who they said was set to be fired for holding extremist views.
More on this as it becomes available.
This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.
[Source: The Wall Street Journal]
Comments
Post a Comment