U.S. Forces Conduct Five Strikes on ISIS Targets in Syria
CENTCOM said five strikes Jan. 27–Feb. 2 used 50 precision munitions to destroy an ISIS communications site and weapons storage.
Overview
U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces conducted five strikes across Syria between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, destroying an ISIS communications site, a logistics node and weapons storage with 50 precision munitions under Operation Hawkeye Strike.
The strikes followed a Dec. 13, 2025, ambush that killed two U.S. service members and an American interpreter, prompting CENTCOM to launch Operation Hawkeye Strike to prevent an ISIS resurgence, CENTCOM said.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said in a statement that striking the targets "demonstrates our continued focus and resolve for preventing an ISIS resurgence in Syria" and noted operations were coordinated with coalition and partner forces.
CENTCOM said more than 50 Islamic State members have been killed or captured since December, including Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, whom CENTCOM said was killed in a deliberate strike in northwest Syria on Jan. 16.
CENTCOM said it will continue Operation Hawkeye Strike and coordinated missions with coalition and partner forces to pursue Islamic State operatives and counter threats to the United States and regional security.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the strikes as necessary and effective responses by foregrounding the December ambush, using forceful verbs (e.g., 'unleashed'), centering CENTCOM statements that stress “focus and resolve,” and quoting casualty and capture counts—while omitting independent verification, Syrian or civilian perspectives, and legal or humanitarian context.
Sources (3)
FAQ
Operation Hawkeye Strike is an ongoing U.S.-led military campaign launched on December 19, 2025, in response to a deadly ISIS ambush in Palmyra, Syria, on December 13, 2025, that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter.
Between January 27 and February 2, 2026, U.S. forces conducted five strikes using 50 precision munitions to destroy an ISIS communications site, a logistics node, and weapons storage facilities.
The operation was triggered by an ISIS ambush on December 13, 2025, in Palmyra, Syria, where a gunman killed two U.S. service members from the Iowa National Guard, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, and an American civilian interpreter.
Partner forces include Jordanian Air Force F-16s and other coalition partners, with coordination mentioned but not always specified in recent strikes.
Since December 2025, more than 50 Islamic State members have been killed or captured, including Bilal Hasan al-Jasim on January 16, 2026, with multiple strikes destroying ISIS infrastructure across Syria.
History
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