US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces, along with partner forces, conducted large-scale strikes against multiple ISIS targets across Syria as a part of the Operation Hawkeye Strike. Sharing the details in a post on X, CENTCOM said that the strikes were conducted at approximately 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time, US. CENTCOM mentioned that the strikes targeted ISIS throughout Syria as part of its ongoing commitment “to root out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent future attacks and protect American and partner forces in the region. US and coalition forces remain resolute in pursuing terrorists who seek to harm the United States”. The statement however, didn’t mention the death of any terrorist in the US operations.
CENTCOM noted in its post that Operation Hawkeye Strike was launched and announced on December 19, 2025, at the direction of US President Donald Trump, in direct response to the ISIS attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria, on December 13, 2025 which CENTCOM said was out by an ISIS terrorist and resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and one US civilian interpreter. “Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice”, the post said.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 10, 2026
The soldiers were identified as 25-year-old Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar of Des Moines, Iowa, and 29-year-old Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard of Marshalltown, Iowa, both of whom were members of the Iowa National Guard, began deploying roughly 1,800 troops to the Middle East earlier this year as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the US mission to defeat ISIS. The US official told that the latest operation fired over 90 precision munitions to hit more than 35 targets, with the use of over two dozen aircraft.
The Ahmed al-Sharaa regime in Syria is cooperating with the United States to fight against the ISIS and other targets of Washington DC in the country. The agreement was reached between Syria and the United States when Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House in the previous year. The Ahmed al-Sharaa regime came to power in December 2024, after overthrowing the long-ruled Assad regime in a civil war. The latest US strikes in Syria further jeopardizes the hitherto fragile geopolitical landscape of West Asia which is entangled in multiple conflicts.
(With Inputs from ANI)
