“If you attack Americans anywhere in the world, you will live the rest of your short, fearful lives knowing that the United States will hunt, find and kill you mercilessly,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, according to a US media report. This statement came following the attack by US forces on key Islamic State positions in Syria, an action in retaliation for the deaths of three US citizens in Palmyra province last weekend. The operation was called the “Hawkeye Assault” and targeted the main infrastructure and arsenals that support the jihadist group’s operations. As American media reported, both the Pentagon and the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) described the action as a calculated and limited response aimed at deterring other aggression and strengthening the protection of US personnel in the region, while avoiding a full-scale military escalation.
According to official reports highlighted by the aforementioned media outlets, the offensive included airstrikes combined with ground operations alongside local allied forces to neutralize the Islamic State’s logistics and planning capabilities. These attacks followed an episode in which US forces and Syrian partners were attacked. U.S. defense officials reiterated that target identification was conducted through rigorous verification and confirmation processes with the goal of ensuring accuracy and minimizing risks to civilians and partners in the region. The Pentagon stated in its official report
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized in statements to American media: “Today we pursued and killed our enemies. Many. And we will continue to do so.” Hegseth also stressed that the administration under Donald Trump’s presidency has a firm stance on defending American citizens and that there will be no concessions in the face of attacks by armed groups abroad. For his part, President Trump mourned the three citizens who died in the counterterrorism operation: two members of the Iowa National Guard and a civilian interpreter. Trump described the events as “the loss of three great American patriots in Syria” and described the incident as a direct attack by the Islamic State on the United States and Syrian territory, underscoring the limited ability of local authorities to exert control over these areas, as quoted by the same media.
The information channel CENTCOM stated that the offensive was mainly aimed at logistics centers, weapons depots and planning points that enabled armed actions against US forces. The immediate goal of the use of military resources was to damage the operational structure of the Islamic State and to explicitly warn other armed groups in Syria of the consequences of an attack directed against US interests. The Pentagon insisted, according to American media, that the selection of targets and the use of strict identification procedures were intended both to prevent the recurrence of similar events and to protect those stationed in the field.
The military operation was the result of cooperation between United States forces and local allies active in central Syria, a region characterized by the frequent presence of jihadist activity. The military authorities stated, according to the aforementioned media, that the intervention was not intended to become a sustained escalation, but rather represented a calculated response to a previous deadly attack. Before proceeding with the attack, U.S. forces implemented target tracking and confirmation methods to reduce the risk of civilian casualties and avoid collateral damage to local infrastructure unrelated to military objectives.
The Pentagon assured that the operation had two goals: eliminating immediate threats to American security and protecting national interests both in Syria and in other areas of operation. At the same time, Defense Ministry officials said, according to media reports, that monitoring of the situation in central and northeastern Syria would remain constant as the presence of the Islamic State represents a focus of regional instability.
During the official presentation of the military campaign by the institutional accounts in X, the US authorities reiterated their commitment to act whenever the security of their citizens or their allies is threatened. Both the Pentagon and CENTCOM defended the legitimacy of the offensive based on U.S. national defense guidelines that call for the use of force outside the country given the threat of direct attack. According to the media, the relevant institutions insisted that the scale of the military response remained limited and targeted only those responsible for the recent aggression, with no intention of expanding the scope of the intervention in Syria.
Finally, the Pentagon emphasized that monitoring events remains the responsibility of the US authorities and that any future decision on new operations will depend on the need to protect the safety of military personnel and their allies. These statements, detailed in public communications collected by the US media, underline the continuity of the policy of selective retaliation against any attack directed against US interests outside its borders.
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