Pentagon confirms multi-week operation to dismantle ISIS infrastructure in Syria

The United States intends to continue strikes against facilities linked to the Islamic State group in Syria for an extended period, potentially lasting several weeks.

According to NBC News, which cited sources familiar with the plans, the operation is aimed at destroying “locations where ISIS is attempting to reconstitute” its capabilities and at “eliminating these forces and their infrastructure on a large scale.” The sources indicated that US forces may carry out strikes for “several weeks or up to a month” in order to achieve these objectives.

On December 19, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth announced that the US Armed Forces had launched Operation Hawkeye Strike targeting ISIS militants. Writing on the social media platform X, he emphasised that the operation does not mark the beginning of a new war, describing it instead as an act of retribution.

The operation has also involved regional partners. The Royal Jordanian Air Force confirmed its participation, with Jordanian aircraft carrying out strikes on ISIS positions in southern Syria in support of US military actions.

Earlier, US Central Command reported that American forces struck more than 70 targets in central Syria using fighter jets, helicopters, and artillery systems. According to the command, more than 100 types of precision-guided munitions were used during the operation.

A source within Syria’s security forces said the bombardment lasted for five hours. Media reports further noted that after the killing on December 13 of two US servicemen and one interpreter during an armed attack near Palmyra, the United States, together with its coalition partners, carried out 10 separate operations in Syria and Iraq. As a result of those actions, 23 terrorists were neutralised.

By Tamilla Hasanova