U.S. forces conducted strikes against ISIS targets in Syria, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced today.
The operation, named OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE, was launched as a direct response to an attack that killed Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar (25) of Des Moines, Iowa; Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard (29) of Marshalltown, Iowa; and interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat of Michigan on December 13th in Palmyra, Syria.
“Earlier today, U.S. forces commenced OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites,” Hegseth stated. The Secretary of War emphasized the operation was a declaration of vengeance for the attack on American troops, asserting: “If you target Americans — anywhere in the world — you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you.”
President Trump, in a separate statement on Truth Social, vowed retaliation against ISIS after the soldiers’ deaths, stating: “Because of ISIS’s vicious killing of brave American Patriots… I am hereby announcing that the United States is inflicting very serious retaliation.” He described Syria as “a place soaked in blood which has many problems, but one that has a bright future if ISIS can be eradicated.”
The operation deployed U.S. military assets including A-10 aircraft, F-16s, Apache helicopters, and HIMARS, with Jordanian F-16s also providing support.