Overview
- CENTCOM said U.S. and partner forces conducted 11 missions across Syria from Dec. 20–29, killing at least seven ISIS members, capturing the rest, and destroying four weapons caches.
- Officials said the missions followed Operation Hawkeye Strike on Dec. 19, when U.S. and Jordanian forces hit more than 70 targets with over 100 precision munitions using aircraft, helicopters, and artillery.
- The operations were launched after a Dec. 13 attack near Palmyra that killed two Iowa National Guard soldiers and an American interpreter; U.S. authorities say an ISIS gunman carried out the ambush, which Syrian officials dispute.
- Adm. Brad Cooper vowed to continue the campaign, noting that in 2025 ISIS inspired at least 11 plots or attacks against U.S. targets and that more than 300 suspects have been detained in Syria over the past year.
- U.S. officials and reporting point to growing collaboration with Syria’s new government and local security services, enabling access to areas previously off-limits for counter-ISIS missions.