The United States has carried out another round of retaliatory airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, following a deadly ambush last month that killed two US soldiers and one American civilian interpreter.

According to the US Central Command, the large-scale strikes took place around 12:30 p.m. ET and hit multiple IS targets across Syria. The operation was carried out by US forces along with partner forces.

Saturday’s strikes are part of a wider US military response to the IS attack in Palmyra last month. The ambush killed Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, a civilian interpreter.

Both Torres-Tovar and Howard were members of the Iowa National Guard.

“Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” US Central Command said in a statement on Saturday.

Operation Hawkeye strike

The Trump administration has named the military response Operation Hawkeye Strike. The operation first began on December 19, when the US launched another major strike that hit 70 IS targets across central Syria, including weapons and infrastructure sites.

A day before Saturday’s attack, Syrian officials said their security forces had arrested the military leader of IS operations in the Levant.

The US military said the latest strikes were carried out with partner forces, but did not name which groups took part.

For several years, the Syrian Democratic Forces have been the main US partner in the fight against IS. However, since the removal of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December 2024, the US has increased coordination with the central government in Damascus.

Syria has also recently joined the global coalition against IS, strengthening efforts to counter the militant group.