US launches airstrikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria

The US military launched airstrikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in retaliation for an attack on US personnel, two US officials said on Friday.

The attacks come after Donald Trump vowed to hit back after an attack last weekend in Syria by a suspected Islamic State member.

A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described the strikes as a large-scale response that included targets across central Syria.

Two US Iowa national guard members and a civilian interpreter were killed on Saturday in the central Syrian town of Palmyra by an attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces before being shot dead, according to the US military. Three other US soldiers were also wounded in the attack.

There are currently 1,000 US troops in Syria, posted with the mission to prevent the resurgence of IS in the region.

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth suggested attacks against IS would continue.

“This is not the beginning of a war – it is a declaration of vengeance,” Hegseth said on social media. “The United States of America, under President Trump’s leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people.”

Hegseth added: “Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue.” He offered no other details about the strikes.

The Americans killed last weekend were the first US casualties in the country since the fall of the dictator Bashar al-Assad last year. They were supporting counter-terrorism operations against the Islamic State when they were attacked by a lone gunman, per officials in both countries.

On Thursday, Trump signed a law repealing a final batch of crippling economic sanctions on Syria, which were imposed to punish Assad for human rights abuses during the country’s civil war. After Assad was ousted in a December 2024, advocates pushed to have the sanctions lifted.