The Pentagon conducted a military operation in Syria following the ISIS attack in which two US soldiers died

U.S. forces launched an operation against the Islamic State in Syria in response to an attack in Palmyra that left three Americans dead, according to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Friday. “U.S. forces initiated Operation Falcon Eye strike in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons depots in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces on December 13,” Hegseth wrote on X, using the acronym for the jihadist group. Two U.S. Army soldiers, along with a civilian interpreter, died on Saturday in Syria after an attack perpetrated by a suspected member of the Islamic State (ISIS) against a joint convoy of U.S. and Syrian forces, according to the U.S. military central command (CENTCOM). The attacker, who was subsequently shot by associated forces, opened fire when soldiers were holding a meeting with local leaders in the central city of Palmyra, CENTCOM explained in a statement. At least three other U.S. soldiers were wounded and two Syrian personnel were injured, according to details released by various military officials and reported by Reuters and the Syrian state agency SANA. The attack occurred just over a month after Syria formalized a political cooperation agreement with the US-led coalition aimed at combating the Islamic State, an announcement that coincided with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House. According to information from three local officials transmitted by Reuters, the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces. The spokesman for the Syrian Ministry of Interior, Noureddine el-Baba, stated on the state television channel Al-Ikhbariya that the attacker did not hold any leadership position in the security forces. The spokesman detailed: “On December 10, an assessment was issued indicating that this attacker might harbor extremist ideas, and a decision on his case was to be issued tomorrow, Sunday.”

El-Baba highlighted that Syria previously warned about the possibility of an attack by the Islamic State in that region, claiming that “the coalition forces did not take these warnings into account.” He also added that the Syrian authorities will determine whether the attacker had operational links with the extremist group or only sympathized with its ideology. In response to the attack, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke out through his Truth Social platform, promising a “very serious retaliation” and lamenting the loss of “three great patriots.” According to Trump’s statements, he described the event to the press as a “terrible attack.” The U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, condemned the attack, stating in a statement: “We regret the loss of three brave American members and civilian personnel and wish a speedy recovery to the Syrian soldiers injured in the attack. We remain committed to defeating terrorism alongside our Syrian partners.” SANA reported that the wounded were evacuated by US helicopters to a US base in the Al-Tanf region, near the border with Iraq. The US-led coalition maintains air and ground operations in Syria against suspected members of the Islamic State, frequently in coordination with Syrian security forces. For its part, the Syrian government carried out a nationwide arrest campaign in the last month, arresting more than 70 people accused of belonging to or having links with the extremist group. Currently, the United States maintains a military presence in northeastern Syria as part of a decade-long initiative to support a local Kurdish force to combat jihadist groups.