<div class="flex flex-col text-sm pb-25">
<article class="text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [&amp;:has([data-writing-block])&gt;*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id="request-69462ff5-39f4-8323-822b-3e3585422370-7" data-testid="conversation-turn-18" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn="assistant">
<div class="text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:--spacing(4)] @w-sm/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(6)] @w-lg/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(16)] px-(--thread-content-margin)">
<div class="[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn" tabindex="-1">
<div class="flex max-w-full flex-col grow">
<div class="min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-1" dir="auto" data-message-author-role="assistant" data-message-id="621a0bce-4394-44d6-8b72-4453c891937f" data-message-model-slug="gpt-5-2">
<div class="flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[1px]">
<div class="markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full break-words light markdown-new-styling">
<p data-start="78" data-end="337"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The United States carried out large-scale military strikes in Syria on Friday, targeting Islamic State fighters and weapons facilities in retaliation for an ambush attack that killed two American soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter nearly a week earlier.</span></p>
<p data-start="339" data-end="580"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Senior officials said the operation struck around 70 targets across central Syria, focusing on areas believed to house Islamic State infrastructure and arms. Additional strikes are expected in the coming days as part of the ongoing response.</span></p>
<p data-start="582" data-end="784"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the action was a decisive response to the killings, describing it as a clear warning that the United States would act forcefully to defend its citizens and personnel.</span></p>
<p data-start="786" data-end="1214"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The strikes come at a time when the Trump administration has said it intends to shift strategic focus closer to the Western Hemisphere, including stepped-up maritime operations in the Caribbean and pressure on Venezuela. Despite this broader realignment, the administration moved swiftly to respond to the attack in Syria, even as significant U.S. military assets have been redeployed away from the Middle East in recent months.</span></p>
<p data-start="1216" data-end="1523"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">President Donald Trump had earlier vowed &ldquo;very serious retaliation&rdquo; after the shooting in the Syrian desert, which he blamed on Islamic State fighters. The victims were among hundreds of U.S. troops stationed in eastern Syria as part of an international effort to prevent the militant group from regrouping.</span></p>
<p data-start="1525" data-end="1851"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Speaking at a public event in North Carolina on Friday evening, Trump described the operation as a &ldquo;massive strike&rdquo; that targeted Islamic State militants attempting to re-establish themselves. In a separate message, he warned the group against any future attacks on Americans, saying they would face even harsher consequences.</span></p>
<p data-start="1853" data-end="2111"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The military operation involved a combination of air and ground firepower, including fighter jets, ground-attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and rocket artillery. Officials said more than 100 precision-guided munitions were used against designated targets.</span></p>
<p data-start="2113" data-end="2476"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The strikes also tested the improving relationship between Washington and Damascus following the removal of former Syrian leader Bashar Assad a year ago. Trump said Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa supported the U.S. action and was angered by the attack on American forces. Cooperation between U.S. troops and Syrian security forces has expanded in recent months.</span></p>
<p data-start="2478" data-end="2913"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Syria&rsquo;s foreign ministry said the incident highlighted the need for stronger international cooperation against terrorism and reaffirmed the country&rsquo;s commitment to fighting Islamic State and denying it any safe haven. Syrian state media reported that the strikes hit weapons depots and command centres in rural areas of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces, as well as near Palmyra, describing them as launch points for militant operations.</span></p>
<p data-start="2915" data-end="3276"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Islamic State has not claimed responsibility for the attack on U.S. personnel, though it has since claimed two assaults on Syrian security forces, including one that killed four soldiers. The group has denounced Syria&rsquo;s current leadership, despite long-standing hostility between Islamic State and President al-Sharaa, who once led a faction linked to al-Qaida.</span></p>
<p data-start="3278" data-end="3676"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Earlier this week, President Trump met privately with the families of those killed at Dover Air Force Base, ahead of a formal dignified transfer ceremony honouring the fallen. The American soldiers were identified as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown. The civilian interpreter killed was Ayad Mansoor Sakat of Macomb, Michigan.</span></p>
<p data-start="3678" data-end="4153" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The attack near Palmyra also wounded three U.S. troops and members of Syria&rsquo;s security forces. The assailant, who was killed at the scene, had joined Syria&rsquo;s internal security forces two months earlier as a base guard but had recently been reassigned after concerns emerged about possible ties to Islamic State. Officials said he opened fire during a meeting between U.S. and Syrian security personnel who were gathered for lunch, following an altercation with Syrian guards.</span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="z-0 flex min-h-[46px] justify-start">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="mt-3 w-full empty:hidden">
<div class="text-center">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</article>
</div>
<div class="pointer-events-none h-px w-px absolute bottom-0" aria-hidden="true" data-edge="true">&nbsp;</div>

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

US launches large-scale Syria strikes after ISIS attack kills American troops

US Strikes ISIS Targets in Syria After Attack

US launches large-scale Syria strikes after ISIS attack kills American troops

December 20, 2025 | 17:00 IST