US launches massive strike on ISIS targets in Syria after three Americans killed
The US military conducted large-scale airstrikes Friday against Islamic State targets in Syria, retaliating for an attack that killed two soldiers and a civilian interpreter.
December 19, 2025 - 06:01 PM ET • 2 min read
The United States military launched a large-scale airstrike operation against Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday, using fighter aircraft, attack helicopters and artillery to strike dozens of suspected ISIS sites across central Syria.
U.S. Central Command announced the operation in a statement Friday evening, describing it as a "massive strike" targeting ISIS infrastructure and weapons storage areas. "U.S. forces have commenced a large-scale strike against ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites in Syria," the command said. "This massive strike follows the attack on U.S. and partner forces in Syria on Dec. 13."
The strikes came in direct response to an attack last Saturday in Palmyra, central Syria, in which a lone ISIS gunman ambushed a convoy of American and Syrian forces. The attacker killed two U.S. Army soldiers (Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, both of the Iowa National Guard) and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, a U.S. civilian interpreter. Three other U.S. soldiers were wounded in the attack. The gunman was shot dead at the scene, according to the Pentagon.
President Trump had vowed to retaliate for the deaths. Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth attended a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base earlier this week for the three Americans killed.
According to U.S. officials, the airstrikes targeted multiple locations across central Syria and were expected to continue for several hours into early Saturday morning Syria time. One official described the operation as a large-scale response that included targets across the region. The strikes focused on suspected ISIS weapons storage areas and buildings supporting the group's operations.
Social media accounts in Syria reported explosions across vast areas of the country as the strikes continued. The operation represented the first major U.S. military response following the deaths of the two soldiers and interpreter, which marked the first American combat casualties in Syria since the fall of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
The U.S.-led coalition has conducted airstrikes and ground operations in Syria targeting Islamic State suspects in recent months, often working with Syria's security forces. The American personnel killed in Saturday's attack were supporting a counterterrorism operation against the Islamic State group at the time of the ambush.