US conducts strikes in Syria in response to attack that killed two American soldiers

Originally Published: 19 DEC 25 17:04 ET

Updated: 19 DEC 25 17:35 ET

By Zachary Cohen, Haley Britzky, CNN

(CNN) — The US struck multiple targets in Syria on Friday that the US military tied to ISIS as retaliation for the recent attack against American troops there that killed two service members, according to two US officials.

Dubbed “Operation Hawkeye,” a reference to the fact that the two US soldiers killed were from the “Hawkeye State” of Iowa, the strikes hit dozens of targets the military connected to ISIS — including infrastructure and weapons storage sites across Syria, one of the officials said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the strikes a “declaration of vengeance,” in a post on X late Friday afternoon.

“This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance,” he wrote. “The United States of America, under President Trump’s leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people.”

After the attack on December 13 that killed the two soldiers and a civilian interpreter, US and partner forces conducted 10 operations resulting in the death or detention of around 23 people, that official added. Those operations also yielded intelligence from electronics gathered during the operations that provided information contributing to targeting for the strikes, according to the same US official.

Hundreds of American troops continue to be deployed to Syria as part of the US’ longstanding mission to combat ISIS, a mission that began when ISIS rapidly took control of a large chunk of Syria and Iraq in the mid 2010s. Subsequently, US and partner operations, paired with a change in regime in Syria, largely eliminated that territorial control.

The goal of Operation Hawkeye is to deliver a big blow to ISIS remnants in Syria and their ability to pose a threat to US forces in the region, the same official told CNN.

Partner nations, including Jordan, joined the US in the strikes, the official said.

While the Trump administration vowed retaliation against ISIS in the wake of the December 13 attack, CNN has reported that Syria’s Ministry of Interior Affairs said the attacker had been a part of Syria’s Internal Security service. US and Syrian officials acknowledged to CNN that the gunman’s ties to ISIS are not entirely clear-cut; ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

The two US service members killed in Syria were identified this week as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa. They were killed while engaging hostile forces in Palmyra, Syria, the US Army said. Both soldiers were assigned to the Iowa National Guard’s 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division.

Three additional Iowa National Guard members were wounded in the attack and evacuated for further medical treatment.

“Our priority right now is supporting the families of our fallen and wounded soldiers,” Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborne, adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard, previously said in a statement. “The entire Iowa National Guard grieves for this terrible loss, and we stand together to support the soldiers and their families.”

Roughly 1,800 Iowa National Guard soldiers began deploying to the Middle East earlier this year as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, a release from Gov. Kim Reynold’s office said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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