US forces opened a broad wave of air and artillery strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday, answering President Trump's promise to retaliate for the killing of two American soldiers and a US interpreter last weekend. "This is not the beginning of a war—it is a declaration of vengeance," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X. He said US forces had killed "lots" of enemies and would keep pursuing ISIS, the New York Times reports.
A US official told the AP that the attack was conducted using F-15 Eagle jets, A-10 Thuderbolt ground attack aircraft, and AH-64 Apache helicopters. They struck dozens of suspected ISIS positions across central Syria, including weapons depots and other facilities, in what was described as a large-scale operation expected to continue into early Saturday. Social media accounts in Syria reported blasts in multiple areas, per the Times. The attack that triggered the operation took place in Palmyra, where the Americans were supporting counterterrorism efforts when a Syrian member of the country's security forces opened fire. The gunman also wounded three other US service members and two Syrian security personnel.
The strikes underscore a sharp uptick in US military activity in Syria even as American troop levels have dropped to about 1,000 following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government last year. US officials say ISIS, though stripped of most territory, has used the post-Assad instability to regroup, inspire, or direct plots abroad, and test the new government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Central Command reports it has conducted nearly 80 missions in Syria since July, detained 119 suspected insurgents, and destroyed multiple weapons caches, amid warnings that ISIS is trying to free thousands of detained fighters and family members and capitalize on persistent security gaps.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
