US Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon fighter jets arrive at an undisclosed location within the US CENTCOM area of responsibility. (File photo)
US announces “large-scale” strikes against Daesh in Syria
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- US and allied forces launched "large-scale" air strikes across Syria under "Operation Hawkeye Strike," targeting Daesh command centers and weapons depots in rural Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa.
- The operation serves as a direct response to a December 13 ambush in Palmyra that killed two Iowa National Guard sergeants and a civilian interpreter, marking a significant escalation in the Trump administration's "peace through force" strategy in the region.
US and allied forces carried out "large-scale" strikes against Daesh in Syria on Saturday, the US military said, the latest response to an attack last month that killed three Americans.
US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American military forces in the region, said multiple strikes "targeted [Daesh] throughout Syria”.
CENTCOM's post on X did not give specifics on where they took place.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 10, 2026
Grainy aerial video accompanying the post showed several separate explosions, apparently in rural areas.
The strikes were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched "in direct response to the deadly [Daesh] attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra," CENTCOM said.
Two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter were killed on December 13 after a lone gunman -- whom Washington described as a Daesh militant -- ambushed them in Palmyra, home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins and once controlled by the extremist group.
Syria's interior ministry later said the gunman was a member of the security forces who had been set to be fired for extremism.
"We will never forget, and never relent," US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday in a post on X, replying to the CENTCOM statement.
The United States and Jordan carried out a round of strikes last month in response to the Palmyra attack, with CENTCOM saying at the time that "more than 70 targets" had been hit.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, later reported those strikes killed at least five Daesh members, including a cell leader.
On January 3, Britain and France announced joint strikes targeting an underground facility they said Daesh had likely used to store weapons.
The US personnel targeted in Palmyra were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the international effort to combat Daesh, which seized swaths of Syrian and Iraqi territory in 2014.
The extremists were ultimately defeated by local ground forces backed by international air strikes and other support, but Daesh still has a presence in Syria, especially in the country's vast desert.
US President Donald Trump has long been skeptical of Washington's presence in Syria, ordering the withdrawal of troops during his first term but ultimately leaving American forces in the country.
The Pentagon announced in April that the United States would halve the number of US personnel in Syria in the following months, while US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said in June that Washington would eventually reduce its bases in the country to one.
