Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed Thursday that the United States launched a major retaliatory assault on ISIS targets in Syria, following a deadly attack last weekend that killed two American service members and an interpreter.
Hegseth said the military action, dubbed Operation Hawkeye Strike, targeted dozens of ISIS fighters, weapons depots, and infrastructure in central Syria. The Secretary emphasized that the operation was not the beginning of another war, but rather an unmistakable act of retribution.
“Earlier today, U.S. forces commenced OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces that occurred on December 13th in Palmyra, Syria,” Hegseth posted on X. “This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trump’s leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people.”
Hegseth added that the message to America’s enemies is clear: “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. Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue.”
The New York Times reported that the strikes, carried out across multiple locations in central Syria, were “massive” and intended to cripple ISIS’s operational capabilities in the region. The mission, according to one American official, is ongoing and may involve additional phases.
The weekend attack killed Staff Sgt. Nate Howard, 29, and Sgt. Edgar Torres, 25, both members of the Iowa National Guard. An American interpreter, Ayad Mansoor Sakat, was also killed. The three were part of a small deployment providing intelligence support near Palmyra when their convoy was struck by an improvised explosive device followed by small-arms fire.
President Donald Trump and Secretary Hegseth were both present at Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday for the dignified transfer ceremony honoring the fallen. Standing alongside grieving families, Trump vowed swift and overwhelming retaliation.
“I can tell you in Syria there will be a lot of damage done to the people that did it, that they got the person, the individual person, but there’ll be big damage done,” Trump said Sunday. “We will not sit back and take this.”
Hegseth’s leadership at the Pentagon has been defined by a doctrine of preemptive and retaliatory force against terrorist groups, a sharp contrast to the more restrained policies under the previous administration. Thursday’s strike further illustrates the Trump administration’s position that American lives will be defended with overwhelming power, regardless of where threats emerge.
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