The US has become active in West Asia, yet again. On December 19, 2025 night, the US forces carried out a series of coordinated air and ground strikes, codenamed Operation Hawkeye, in central Syria, hitting around 70 locations linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) group. President Donald John Trump has claimed that it was a retaliatory measure as the US had the full support of the Syrian Government.

It may be noted that several US citizens, including three soldiers, were killed in Syria in the second week of December 2025. President Trump delivered a strong message of retaliation upon the arrival of their bodies in the US, stressing that the US forces would deal with all the Syrian militants in a proper manner. On December 19, the US forces identified the ISIS bases and bombarded them. Later, the President claimed that the successful operation destroyed a number of bases, apart from eliminating many ISIS terrorists.

On December 13, the ISIS militants assassinated a number of US officials, including Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard (29) from Marshalltown, Iowa; Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar (25) from Grimes, Iowa and civilian interpreter Ayad Sakat from Michigan, in Palmyra. A senior US official has said on condition of anonymity that the ambush was carried out by an individual suspected of having links or sympathies with ISIS. Later, the concerned authorities in Syria hinted that the attacker was killed.

According to political analysts, the US has launched an active military conflict against militants in West Asia and a full-scale War against Terror may begin soon. It seems that President Trump has conveyed this message through the attack in Syria. However, US Defence Secretary Peter Brian Hegseth has dismissed such a speculation, stating that the Operation Hawkeye was carried out “to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on US forces that occurred on December 13, 2025 in Palmyra“. He added: “This is not the beginning of a war. It is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trump’s leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people.“

Meanwhile, President Trump wrote on social media: “Because of ISIS’ vicious killing of brave American Patriots in Syria, whose beautiful souls I welcomed home to American soil earlier this week in a very dignified ceremony, I am hereby announcing that the United States is inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible.” He further mentioned: “We are striking very strongly against ISIS strongholds in Syria, a place soaked in blood which has many problems, but one that has a bright future if ISIS can be eradicated. The Government of Syria, led by a man who is working very hard to bring Greatness back to Syria, and is fully in support. All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned – YOU WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE IF YOU, IN ANY WAY, ATTACK OR THREATEN THE USA.” The President reiterated that IS remnants continue to pose a security challenge in Syria despite years of military pressure.

Reuters reported that the US used F-15 and A-10 fighter jets to destroy the ISIS bases. As per a report published by Northeast Webshots, the strikes come amid plans by Washington DC to gradually scale down its military presence in Syria. The Pentagon has already announced a reduction in troop numbers, with US forces currently stationed in the Kurdish-controlled northeast and at the Al-Tanf base near the Jordanian border.

The Syrian Government has stated that its fight against terrorism continues as the country would not be allowed to become a safe haven for terrorists. Damascus recently coordinated with the US-led coalition as part of broader counterterrorism efforts. Currently, there are 1,000 US troops in Syria.

Meanwhile,

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das