By Lucy Davalou with AP
Published on
The United States launched a massive attack in Syria against the Islamic State group and weapons sites on Friday, in retaliation for an ambush attack on Saturday 13 December in which two US soldiers and an American civilian interpreter were killed.
According to an anonymous US official, the military strikes hit 70 IS infrastructure and weapons sites across central Syria. Another US official said more strikes should be expected.
US President Donald Trump on Friday also reiterated his backing for Syria’s President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who Trump said was “fully in support” of the US actions.
On Friday evening, during a speech in North Carolina, Trump saluted the attack that struck “ISIS thugs in Syria who were trying to regroup.”
Earlier, in a social media post, Trump also threatened IS if it attacked US personnel again, saying: “All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned — YOU WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE IF YOU, IN ANY WAY, ATTACK OR THREATEN THE U.S.A.,”
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth took to social media to make an announcement on the attack: “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,”
The attack involved F-15 Eagle jets, A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack aircraft and AH-64 Apache helicopters, as well as F-16 fighter jets from Jordan and HIMARS rocket artillery, US officials said. The US Central Command responsible for overseeing the region also said that more than 100 precision munitions were used.
Following the 13 December killings, which Trump blamed on IS, Trump vowed “very serious retaliation”.
Hundreds of US troops have been deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting the militant group.
The attack was a major test for the improving relationship between the United States and Syria since the removal of Bashar Assad a year ago. Trump said Syria was fighting alongside US troops and that al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed by this attack,” which happened as the US military increases its co-operation with Syrian security forces.
In a statement on X after the US strikes, Syria’s foreign ministry said last week’s attack “underscores the urgent necessity of strengthening international cooperation to combat terrorism in all its forms” and that Syria remains committed “to fighting ISIS and ensuring that it has no safe havens on Syrian territory and will continue to intensify military operations against it wherever it poses a threat.”