US launches operation Hawkeye strike: Airstrikes hit over 70 ISIS targets in Syria as retaliation for American deaths

WASHINGTON (The Uttam Hindu) : The United States has carried out airstrikes on multiple Islamic State (IS) targets in central Syria, officials said, in response to a deadly attack on US personnel last week.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that these strikes targeted ISIS fighters, their infrastructure, and weapons depots. The operation, dubbed Operation Hawkeye Strike, also stated that further action is possible. Hegseth stated that this is not the start of a war, but a declaration of revenge. According to him, the US has hunted down and killed its enemies and will continue to do so.

“Earlier today, the US military launched Operation Hawkeye Strike in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons installations in direct response to the attack on US forces in Palmyra, Syria on December 13th,” he said in a post on the social media platform X.

He added, "As we said immediately after that barbaric attack, if you target Americans anywhere in the world, you will spend your short, restless life knowing that the United States will find you and kill you mercilessly. Today, we found and killed our enemies. We have killed many of them, and we will continue to do so." The airstrikes follow an attack near Palmyra last week that killed two US soldiers and an American civilian interpreter, while wounding three other soldiers. The attacker had attacked a convoy of US and Syrian forces and was later shot down.

US President Donald Trump promised "very serious retaliation" after the incident. White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said the airstrikes were a fulfillment of that promise.