Why did the US launch its most intense airstrikes in Syria in years?

The United States carried out large-scale airstrikes against Islamic State positions across Syria on Saturday, marking one of the most intense uses of American airpower in the country in recent years. According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation was launched in response to the killing of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter during an ambush last month. 

About 20 US Air Force aircraft, including F-15E Strike Eagles, A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jets and AC-130J gunships, were involved, along with MQ-9 Reaper drones and Jordanian F-16 fighter jets. Together, they fired more than 90 bombs and missiles at at least 35 targets spread across central and eastern Syria.

American officials said the strikes were designed to dismantle Islamic State infrastructure, including weapons depots, logistical hubs and operational sites used to plan future attacks. The scale of the operation underscored Washington’s determination to impose a heavy cost on the group and to deter further assaults on US personnel operating in Syria as part of the ongoing counterterrorism mission.

The immediate trigger for the escalation was an attack on December 13, near Palmyra, in Syria’s vast central desert. During what American officials described as a counterterrorism engagement, an Islamic State gunman ambushed American forces, killing two soldiers and a civilian interpreter and wounding three others. The incident sent shockwaves through Washington and prompted a rapid reassessment of the US military posture in the country. 

Senior defence officials framed the subsequent response in unusually stark terms. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the operation as a “declaration of vengeance”, insisting that the United States would “never relent” when its personnel were targeted. Showing a clear intent to use overwhelming force, the strikes were ordered immediately after the ambush.

With a friendly regime in Damascus following the overthrow of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, the US has recalibrated its diplomatic and military coordination in Syria. While the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have long been the United States’ primary local partner in the fight against Islamic State, American officials have increasingly coordinated with the new central government in Damascus.

That shift was symbolised by the visit of Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to the White House late last year, after which Damascus formally joined the international coalition against Islamic State. Now, American troops are conducting operations with the consent and cooperation of the host nation, a development that has eased some operational constraints but also created new political complexities.

The December ambush has shown that Islamic State continues to pose a serious threat, especially in the sparsely populated Syrian desert. US military planners argue that sustained pressure is essential to prevent the group from reconstituting itself. 

Operation Hawkeye Strike, which began on December 19, targeted around 70 locations linked to the group, and American officials say that roughly 25 Islamic State operatives were killed or captured in the weeks that followed. Yesterday’s strikes, however, suggest that the organisation retains enough infrastructure and capability to justify the deployment of heavy bombers, attack aircraft and gunships.

At the same time, a clear tension remains between Washington’s strategic objectives and its actions on the ground. Trump has repeatedly expressed scepticism about American military presence in Syria and has, in the past, ordered partial withdrawals. Reflecting this stance, the Pentagon announced plans earlier this year to halve the number of personnel in the country, while the US special envoy for Syria indicated that the long-term goal was to consolidate American forces at a single base.

Yet the overwhelming response to the December ambush has effectively tied Washington to ongoing combat operations, even as political leaders speak of disengagement. About 1,000 US troops remain in Syria, tasked with preventing an Islamic State resurgence that could threaten both American interests and the fragile stability of the new government in Damascus.