US and Jordan Retaliate Against Islamic State

The United States, supported by Jordan, launched extensive retaliatory airstrikes against Islamic State targets across central Syria. This operation, named "OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE" by Pete Hegseth, was in response to an ambush attack that killed two US Army soldiers, Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and William Nathaniel Howard, and an American civilian interpreter, Ayad Mansoor Sakat, near Palmyra. Donald Trump had pledged "very serious retaliation" for the attack. The strikes hit over 70 targets, including Islamic State infrastructure and weapons sites. Syria's interim President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, expressed full support for the US actions and reiterated Syria's commitment to combating terrorism. The assailant in the initial attack was a member of Syria's internal security forces suspected of Islamic State affiliation. This event highlights the warming ties between the United States and Syria since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.