WASHINGTON – In a decisive response to last month’s deadly ambush in Syria, the United States has unleashed a new wave of strikes against the Islamic State. This move comes in retaliation for an attack that claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter.

According to U.S. Central Command, these extensive assaults were carried out in collaboration with allied forces and took place at approximately 12:30 p.m. ET. The operations targeted numerous Islamic State positions throughout Syria.

Following the strikes, the Jordanian military confirmed its participation in the operation.

The Saturday offensive marks a continuation of President Donald Trump’s strategy to address the lethal ISIS assault that resulted in the deaths of Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat in Palmyra last month.

“Our message is unwavering: if you harm our warfighters, we will track you down and eliminate you anywhere on the globe, regardless of how you attempt to evade justice,” declared U.S. Central Command in a statement issued on Saturday.

A day earlier, Syrian officials said their security forces had arrested the military leader of IS’s operations in the Levant.

The U.S. military said Saturday’s strikes were carried out alongside partner forces without specifying which forces had taken part.

The Trump administration is calling the response to the Palmyra attacks Operation Hawkeye Strike. Both Torres-Tovar and Howard were members of the Iowa National Guard.

It launched Dec. 19 with another large-scale strike that hit 70 targets across central Syria that had IS infrastructure and weapons.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has for years been the U.S.’s main partner in the fight against IS in Syria, but since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December 2024, Washington has increasingly been coordinating with the central government in Damascus.

Syria recently joined the global coalition against IS.