Syria is facing rising tensions as US forces carried out a massive strike against the ‘Islamic State’ (IS) group while Israeli troops advanced in the Quneitra region of the Golan Heights.
The US strike targeted over 70 IS locations in central Syria following a deadly ambush in Palmyra that killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter. Fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery, along with aircraft from Jordan, were used to hit IS infrastructure and weapons sites with over 100 precision munitions.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said the operation, called ‘Operation Hawkeye Strike’, launched at 16:00 Eastern Time (21:00 GMT) on Friday, aimed to prevent further attacks and weaken IS.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 20, 2025
Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper said that the US "will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region".
Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), told news agency AFP that at least five IS fighters, including a drone cell leader in Deir ez Zor, were reported killed.
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Meanwhile, Israeli forces advanced into the villages of Ain Ziwan and al-Ajraf in southern Quneitra and set up two new military checkpoints. Israel has carried out near-daily incursions into the region for months, including arrests and land bulldozing, prompting growing public anger.
These advances violate the ‘1974 Disengagement Agreement’, which created a UN-monitored ‘buffer zone’ between Syria and Israel.
Posting on Truth Social, President Trump said the US "is inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible".
He said the Syrian government was "fully in support".
