US launches ‘retaliatory strikes on Daesh targets’ in Syria amid renewed controversy over intervention
Tehran - BORNA - According to statements by US officials, the US military on Friday struck “more than 70 Daesh” targets across central Syria, using around 100 munitions fired from warplanes, attack helicopters, and rocket artillery.
The strikes, codenamed “Operation Hawkeye Strike,” was confirmed by War Secretary Pete Hegseth and US Central Command (CENTCOM).
Hegseth said the strikes were launched “to eliminate ISIS (Daesh) fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites” in, what he called, direct response to the killing of three Americans in Palmyra, Syria, on December 13.
The CENTCOM said the fatalities, two Iowa National Guardsmen and a US civilian interpreter, had been caused in an ambush by a “lone gunman” reportedly belonging to the Takfiri terrorist group, who was later killed.
Scrambling to deflect suspicion as to Washington’s likely intentions to take Syria under a wholesale offensive, Hegseth said, “This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance.” He added that Washington would not hesitate to “defend” its personnel.
President Donald Trump described the operation as “very serious retaliation” against what he called “murderous terrorists,” saying the strikes had targeted Daesh strongholds and claiming Syria’s new regime supported the action.
The CENTCOM said Jordanian warplanes had also participated in the strikes. Explosions were reported in several parts of Syria, according to local sources and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based so-called monitor.
US officials said the strikes involved F-15 and A-10 warplanes, Apache attack helicopters, and HIMARS rocket artillery, targeting what they described as Daesh weapons areas and infrastructure. A US official said the operation was intended to deliver a “significant blow” to the group’s remnants.
Syria defeated Daesh in 2017 under the country’s former democratically-elected government of President Bashar al-Assad amid indispensable counterterrorism contribution steered by General Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
The United States, however, assassinated General Soleimani, who used to be revered as the West Asia region’s most effective anti-terror commander, during a drone strike against Baghdad in January 2020.
Today, Washington says between 1,500 and 3,000 Daesh terrorists are still active in Syria and Iraq, citing intelligence assessments.
The US currently maintains around 1,000 troops in Syria, primarily in the east, as part of what it describes as a mission to prevent a Daesh resurgence.
The latest strikes, meanwhile, came against the backdrop of years of controversy surrounding US-led military operations in Syria and Iraq.
Washington has conducted repeated air campaigns, special forces raids, and joint operations since 2014, actions that have drawn criticism over their legality, civilian impact, and long-term effectiveness.
Previous US interventions against Daesh in both the countries have faced scrutiny from regional governments and international observers, particularly over their scope, indiscriminate nature, failure to ensure Damascus’ consent, and continued presence of foreign troops on the Syrian soil.
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