The US strikes are targeting IS members in Syria, as well as infrastructure and weapons depots believed to belong to IS, according to US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Over 70 different targets in central parts of the country were attacked on Friday with fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery.
"We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners in the region," a US military official said in a statement.
Three American citizens, two military personnel and a civilian interpreter, were killed in an attack on American forces on December 13.
US President Donald Trump describes the US attacks on his Truth Social platform as “very serious revenge.” He also writes that the place being attacked has a bright future if ISIS can be “eradicated.”
Syria's Foreign Ministry does not explicitly comment on the US attacks, but states in a statement on X that it is determined to fight the terrorist movement ISIS and to "ensure that it has no safe havens on Syrian territory."
According to the Pentagon, the suspected IS attack on the Americans took place in Palmyra, Syria, where the Americans were part of a delegation together with Syrian security forces with the aim of meeting local decision-makers and countering terrorism.
