At least five Daesh members killed in US strikes in Syria

• US strikes target over 70 Daesh sites in central Syria.
• At least five Daesh members, including a drone cell leader, killed.
• Operation follows attack that killed three Americans in Palmyra.

At least five Daesh members, including a cell leader, were killed in overnight US air and artillery strikes in central Syria, a monitor reported Saturday.

The attacks were carried out in retaliation for a deadly December 13 assault in Palmyra that claimed the lives of two US soldiers and a civilian.

The attack in Palmyra, a city known for its UNESCO-listed ancient ruins and previously held by Daesh fighters, was carried out by a lone gunman from the extremist group, Washington said.

- Details of the US response -

US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that “more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria” were struck using fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery. The operation “employed more than 100 precision munitions targeting known ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites,” CENTCOM said.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the strikes killed “at least five members of the Islamic State group” in Deir Ezzor province, including the leader of a drone cell operating in the area.

A Syrian security source added that the US strikes focused on Daesh cells in Syria’s Badia desert, covering Homs, Deir Ezzor, and Raqa provinces, without involving ground troops. Most of the targets were located in the mountainous region north of Palmyra extending toward Deir Ezzor.

- US leadership comments -

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the United States is “inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible,” adding that attackers “WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE.”