The U.S. military struck dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in retaliation for attacks on U.S. personnel, U.S. officials said Friday.
President Donald Trump vowed to retaliate after the attack on American servicemen last weekend in Syria, who is suspected of being a member of the Islamic State.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that these strikes were targeting “ISIS fighters, infrastructure and weapons sites” and called the operation “OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE.”
“This is not the start of a war – it’s a declaration of revenge,” Hegseth said. “Today, we hunted down and killed our enemies. There are many of them. And we will continue,” he added.
Two US officials, who did not want to be identified, said the strikes were against dozens of Islamic State targets in central Syria.
Two US soldiers and an unofficial interpreter were killed Saturday in the central Syrian city of Palmyra by an assailant who targeted a convoy of US and Syrian troops before being shot dead, according to the US military. Three other US soldiers were also injured in the attack.
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The US-led coalition has carried out airstrikes and ground operations in Syria targeting Islamic State suspects in recent months, often with the involvement of Syrian security forces.
About 1,000 US troops remain in Syria.
Syria’s Interior Ministry described the attacker as a member of the Syrian security forces suspected of sympathizing with the Islamic State.
Syria’s government is now led by former rebels who ousted leader Bashar al-Assad last year after a 13-year civil war, and includes members of the former Syrian branch of Al Qaeda who defected to the Islamic State group.
Syria has been working with the US-led coalition against the Islamic State, reaching an agreement last month when President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House.