The US military carried out air strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in retaliation for an attack that killed American personnel, US officials said.
The strikes followed a pledge by Donald Trump to respond forcefully after a suspected Islamic State fighter attacked US forces in central Syria last weekend.
A US official, speaking anonymously, said the operation was a large-scale response targeting sites across central Syria.
Trump said on social media that the Syrian government had fully supported the strikes and described the action as “very serious retaliation”.
US Central Command said more than 70 targets were hit during the operation, with support from Jordanian fighter jets.
Syria’s foreign ministry said the government remained committed to fighting Islamic State and ensuring the group had “no safe havens on Syrian territory”.
The strikes followed an attack on Saturday in the town of Palmyra, where two members of the Iowa National Guard and a civilian interpreter were killed. Three other US soldiers were wounded when a convoy of American and Syrian forces was targeted by a gunman, who was later shot dead.
About 1,000 US troops are currently stationed in Syria as part of a mission aimed at preventing a resurgence of Islamic State.
The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, suggested further attacks were likely. In a statement on social media, he said the operation was not the start of a war but a response to the killings.
Hegseth said the strikes targeted Islamic State fighters, infrastructure and weapons sites. He said the operation was named “Operation Hawkeye Strike”, but provided no further details.
The Americans killed in Palmyra were the first US casualties in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad last year. Officials said they were supporting counter-terrorism operations when they were attacked by a lone gunman.
Syria’s interior ministry said the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces suspected of sympathising with Islamic State.
On Thursday, Trump signed legislation repealing a final round of US economic sanctions on Syria. The measures had been imposed during the civil war to punish Assad for human rights abuses.
Assad was overthrown in December 2024 after a 13-year conflict. Syria’s current government is led by former rebels, including figures who once belonged to Syria’s al-Qaida affiliate but later broke away and fought Islamic State.
Syria has since cooperated with a US-led coalition against Islamic State. That cooperation was reinforced last month when Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, visited the White House.
