U.S. Central Command struck more than 70 ISIS targets across Syria, including Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike just reported in the 29 minutes ending at 11:45 PM UTC on December 19, 2025, in response to the December 13 Palmyra attack that killed three Americans, officials told CBS News and Al-Monitor. The Syrian Democratic Forces' General Command expressed appreciation to U.S. and coalition forces for precise air and missile strikes on ISIS hideouts during the past hours, according to an SDF statement on X. F-16 fighter jets took off from Jordan, alongside F-15s, A-10s, AH-64E Apache helicopters, and HIMARS systems, a U.S. official told reporters. CENTCOM confirmed launching fighter jets, attack helicopters, and other assets for the large-scale strike, per its statement on X. The operation follows strikes on more than 50 targets reported earlier at 11:16 PM UTC, building on U.S. Central Command's announcement of Operation Hawkeye Strike's commencement. Secretary of War stated earlier that the strikes eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites, quoting, "This is not the beginning of a war - it is a declaration of vengeance... Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue." The action responds to the deaths of Sgt. William Nathaniel "Nate" Howard, Sgt. Edgar Torres-Tovar, and interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat near Palmyra.
