Syria

Syria’s army advanced across swathes of the country’s north, dislodging Kurdish-led forces from pockets of territory where they had exercised de facto autonomy for more than a decade, in a campaign unfolding a day after President Ahmed al-Sharaa declared Kurdish a national language and granted the minority official recognition. The push appeared aimed at consolidating state control after a March accord to integrate Kurdish-led units into government structures stalled. Kurdish authorities welcomed the decree as a “first step”…

U.S., allies launch “large-scale” strikes on Islamic State targets across Syria after Palmyra attack U.S. and allied forces carried out large-scale strikes against the Islamic State group across Syria today, the U.S. military said, describing the operation as a direct response to last month’s attack that killed three Americans in the ancient city of Palmyra. U.S. Central Command said in a statement on X that “the strikes today targeted ISIS throughout Syria” as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, launched after a Dec. 13…

U.S., allied forces launch large-scale strikes on ISIS in Syria after deadly Palmyra attack U.S. and allied forces carried out large-scale strikes against the Islamic State group across Syria on Saturday, U.S. Central Command said, the latest response to a Dec. 13 assault in Palmyra that killed three Americans. “The strikes today targeted ISIS throughout Syria” and were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which CENTCOM said was launched “in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra.” The…

Britain and France carried out a joint airstrike in Syria targeting an underground facility north of Palmyra that was likely used by the Islamic State group to store weapons, the British Ministry of Defence said. “Royal Air Force aircraft have completed successful strikes against Daesh in a joint operation with France,” the ministry said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group. “This facility had been occupied by Daesh, most likely to store weapons and explosives. The area around the facility is…

America’s forever wars didn’t end. They receded from view — and risk roaring back. While Washington fixates on China, Iran and Russia, U.S. troops are still fighting, striking and being targeted from the Middle East to the Horn of Africa and the Caribbean corridor. The missions are smaller and quieter than the wars that defined the post‑9/11 era. They are also open‑ended, conducted under authorizations Congress passed more than two decades ago — long after most Americans stopped paying attention. The footprint shrank, not…

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military launched large-scale air and ground strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets across central Syria on Friday, a retaliation U.S. officials said was tied to a deadly Dec. 13 attack on American personnel in the country. The operation, which U.S. Central Command said hit more than 70 targets, was supported by Jordanian fighter jets and drew on a mix of U.S. F-15 and A-10 aircraft, Apache helicopters and HIMARS rocket systems. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes were aimed at…

U.S. forces struck more than 70 Islamic State group targets across central Syria in what President Donald Trump called “very serious retaliation” for a Dec. 13 attack in Palmyra that killed three Americans, U.S. Central Command said. The return strikes hit multiple sites with fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery, CENTCOM said, employing more than 100 precision munitions against known Islamic State infrastructure and weapons depots. U.S. officials said a lone gunman affiliated with the militant group carried out the…

ISIS gunman kills 2 U.S. troops and a U.S. civilian in Syria ambush; attacker dead, CENTCOM says Two U.S. service members and a U.S. civilian were killed and three other service members were wounded when a lone ISIS (Daesh) gunman ambushed a joint operation in Syria on Dec. 13, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday. The assailant was engaged and killed at the scene, according to a CENTCOM statement posted on X. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the civilian killed was a U.S. interpreter. CENTCOM did not…

Two U.S. service members and an interpreter were killed in central Syria when an alleged Islamic State gunman opened fire on a joint U.S.-Syrian patrol near Palmyra, U.S. Central Command said, marking a deadly escalation as Washington and Damascus deepen military coordination against ISIS remnants. CENTCOM announced the deaths on X, adding that three additional troops were wounded in what it described as “an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman.” The attacker “was engaged and killed,” the command said. Officials said the identities…

In recent developments, Israel has announced the elimination of a Hezbollah operative in Syria, who allegedly provided intelligence impeding Israeli operations in the Golan Heights. Simultaneously, Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes were targeting various sites within Syria. For years, Israel has conducted military actions in Syria, but the intensity of these strikes has noticeably escalated following the unprecedented Hamas assault on October 7, 2023. This brutal attack marked the commencement of Israel's…