US military strikes Islamic State group targets in Syria, officials say

The US and its partner forces have carried out large-scale strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria, the US Central Command (Centcom) has announced.

US President Donald Trump directed the strikes on Saturday, which are part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, in retaliation for the Islamic State group’s deadly attack on US forces in Syria on 13 December, Centcom wrote on X.

The strikes were conducted in an effort to combat terrorism and protect American and partner forces in the region, according to Centcom.

“Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” CENTCOM said.

US and partner forces fired over 90 precision munitions at over 35 targets in an operation that involved more than 20 aircraft, including F-15Es, A-10s, AC-130Js, MQ-9s and Jordanian F-16s, a US official told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

The location of the strikes and the extent of any casualties is not yet clear.