U.S., allies launch retaliatory strikes on IS targets in Syria after ambush

12 JANUARY 2026

U.S. and allied forces carried out “large-scale” strikes against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in Syria, the U.S. military said, the latest response to an attack in December 2025 that killed three Americans.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American military forces in the region, said multiple strikes “targeted ISIS throughout Syria,” using an acronym for the jihadist group.
The strikes were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched “in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra,” CENTCOM said.
Jordan’s air force also carried out targeted air strikes as part of the operation, its military said.
Two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter were killed on December 13 after a lone gunman, whom Washington described as an IS militant, ambushed them in Palmyra.
Syria’s Interior Ministry later said the gunman was a member of the security forces who had been set to be fired for extremism.