The Trump administration launched major airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria late Friday in what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as “vengeance” for the killing of three Americans by an ISIS gunman last week.
U.S. forces “struck more than 70 targets” in central Syria with military support from the Jordanian Armed Forces, according to U.S. Central Command, which directs military operations in the Middle East.
“This operation is critical to preventing ISIS from inspiring terrorist plots and attacks against the U.S. homeland,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM. “We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region.”
In a post on X on Friday, Hegseth said the strikes were “in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces that occurred on December 13th in Palmyra, Syria.”
The gunman killed two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter last week — the first U.S. troops killed in Syria since former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted last year.
Three other Americans and several members of the Syrian security forces were also wounded.
In a post on Truth Social after the attack on the three Americans, President Donald Trump said that there would be “very serious retaliation.” Hegseth also warned anyone targeting Americans that the U.S. “will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you” — a phrase he repeated after the U.S. strikes on Friday.
“Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue,” Hegseth said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.