Overview
- U.S. Central Command said the latest sorties targeted Islamic State positions nationwide as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signaled sustained pressure on the group, stating, "We will never forget and never relent."
- The December 13 ambush in Palmyra left two U.S. service members and a civilian linguist dead, triggering earlier joint U.S.–Jordanian strikes.
- Analysts report the group has rebuilt elements of its capability since the Assad regime’s collapse by seizing abandoned arsenals and leveraging sleeper cells.
- Separately, the Syrian Democratic Forces announced a truce in Aleppo and withdrew from the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh districts after clashes that officials said displaced about 155,000 residents.