US forces have launched a military operation against the Islamic State group in Syria following a deadly attack in Palmyra that killed three Americans, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said.
“US 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,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X, using an acronym for the jihadist group.
“As we said directly following the savage attack, 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,” Hegseth said.
He claimed US forces had already inflicted heavy losses on Islamic State fighters during the strikes.
“Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue,” he said.
The operation comes days after a suspected Islamic State attacker struck a convoy of US and Syrian forces in the central Syrian town of Palmyra. Two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in the attack, while three other American troops were wounded. The attacker was later shot dead, according to the US military.
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