By Michael Phillips | Republic Dispatch
In a decisive overnight operation, U.S. and Jordanian forces struck more than 70 ISIS targets across Syria using over 100 precision-guided munitions, delivering one of the largest counter-ISIS blows in recent years. The operation—dubbed Operation Hawkeye Strike—was announced by U.S. Central Command late Friday, underscoring Washington’s message of deterrence and resolve: peace through strength.
A Direct Response to an ISIS Ambush
The strikes were launched December 19 and continued into December 20 local time, retaliating for a December 13 ambush in Palmyra that killed two Iowa National Guard soldiers—Edgar Brian Torres Tovar and William Nathaniel Howard—along with a U.S. civilian interpreter, Ayad Mansoor Sakat. Several other U.S. personnel were wounded.
Defense officials say the attack was carried out by a lone gunman with suspected ISIS ties, highlighting the group’s continued reliance on sleeper cells even after losing its territorial caliphate in 2019.
Scope and Firepower
According to CENTCOM, the joint U.S.-Jordanian operation targeted ISIS fighters, command nodes, weapons storage sites, logistics hubs, and operational facilities across central and eastern Syria, including areas near Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Homs.
Assets used in the strike package included:
- U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles
- A-10 Thunderbolt II (“Warthog”) ground-attack aircraft
- AH-64 Apache attack helicopters
- M142 HIMARS rocket systems
- Jordanian F-16 fighter jets
- KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft
The emphasis on precision munitions was intended to maximize ISIS degradation while limiting collateral damage.
“Peace Through Strength”
President Donald Trump described the operation as “very serious retaliation,” stating that Syria’s post-Assad interim government supported the strikes and that eradicating ISIS remains essential to regional stability.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth framed the mission bluntly, calling it a “declaration of vengeance” rather than the start of a new war. “Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies,” Hegseth said. “And we will continue.”
CENTCOM reinforced that message by releasing strike footage captioned: “Tonight, U.S. and Jordanian forces struck 70+ ISIS targets in Syria with 100+ precision munitions. Peace through strength.”
Strategic Context
Roughly 1,000 U.S. troops remain in Syria to prevent an ISIS resurgence, with estimates placing remaining ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq between 1,500 and 3,000. In the days leading up to Operation Hawkeye Strike, U.S. and partner forces conducted multiple raids that killed or detained more than 20 ISIS operatives and gathered intelligence that helped shape the targeting for this operation.
Officials have not released specific casualty figures from the airstrikes but described the results as highly effective. Additional follow-on operations remain possible.
Bottom Line
Operation Hawkeye Strike sends a clear signal: attacks on American service members will be met with overwhelming force. For supporters of a firm national security posture, the message is familiar and intentional—deterrence is maintained not through restraint alone, but through credible strength and swift action when red lines are crossed.
The Republic Dispatch 