Overview
- CENTCOM says the strike killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, described as an experienced leader affiliated with al‑Qaeda and directly connected to the ISIS gunman in the Dec. 13 Palmyra attack that killed Sgts. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and William Nathaniel Howard and interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat.
- The operation took place in northwest Syria on Jan. 16, with U.S. Central Command announcing the result on Saturday.
- Officials place the action within Operation Hawkeye Strike, which they say has hit more than 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites with over 200 precision munitions since December.
- CENTCOM reports U.S. and partner forces, including Jordan, have captured more than 300 ISIS operatives and killed over 20 in Syria over the past year.
- A local monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, cited a different name — Abo Hassan Al‑Noaimy — for the person killed, leaving some details of the target’s identity unresolved in open reporting.