President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. military has launched large-scale attacks on ISIS targets in Syria, one week after two American service members and a U.S. interpreter were killed in an attack in the city of Palmyra.
Speaking Friday night, Trump said he personally ordered what he described as a “massive strike on the terrorists that killed our three great patriots last week.”
“It was very successful. It was precision,” Trump said. “We hit every site flawlessly and we are restoring peace through strength all over the world.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation amounted to a “declaration of vengeance,” adding that “lots” of ISIS fighters were killed in the strikes.
According to Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least five ISIS members were killed in eastern Syria’s Deir Az Zor province, including the leader of a cell responsible for drone operations in the region.
A Syrian security source told AFP that U.S. strikes targeted ISIS cells operating in Syria’s Badia desert, including areas in Homs, Deir Az Zor, and Raqqa provinces. The source said the operation did not involve U.S. ground forces.
Trump also said on his Truth Social account that Syria’s current government — formed after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, was “fully in support” of the U.S. military action.
Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs echoed that position, reaffirming its commitment to fighting ISIS and inviting the United States and members of the international coalition to support its efforts.
“The Syrian Arab Republic reiterates its steadfast commitment to fighting ISIS and ensuring that it has no safe havens on Syrian territory,” the ministry said in a statement posted early Saturday, adding that it would continue military operations against the group wherever it poses a threat.
