ISIS's attack on US forces embarrasses Chareh

The American military operation against the jihadist group Daesh (Islamic State or IS) launched last Friday to Saturday night follows the attack perpetrated on Saturday, December 13, by the terrorist organization against American and allied forces in Syria. This attack was carried out by a member of the Syrian security forces, embarrassing the Damascus government, which is trying to get closer to the United States.

While "more than 70 targets" were hit across the country, US President Donald Trump spoke of "very heavy reprisals". Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced on X that it was a "direct response" and a "declaration of vengeance" after the attack on Saturday that killed two American servicemen and a translator in Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that at least five IS members were killed in the strikes in Deir Ezzor province. Among them was "the head of an IS cell" in charge of drones, added the NGO, which is based in the United Kingdom but has a vast network of sources in Syria.

A member of the Syrian security forces is reportedly involved in the Daesh attack against US soldiers, thus embarrassing President Ahmad al-Chareh, who is trying to get closer to the United States and recently joined the Washington-led international anti-jihadist coalition.

After dissolving the military and security bodies of Bashar al-Assad, whom he overthrew a year ago, interim President Ahmad al-Chareh integrated the Islamist groups allied with him, including foreign jihadists, into the new army.

This is the first time such an attack has been reported in Syria since he came to power.

Earlier, the spokesman for the Syrian Ministry of Interior had stated that the forces of the international coalition, led by Washington, had not heeded Damascus' warnings regarding a risk of Daesh infiltration.

"There were prior warnings from the internal security command to partner forces" in the Palmyra region, spokesman Anwar al-Baba told state television.

A Syrian military official, who requested anonymity, indicated that the firing broke out while Syrian and American officers were gathered at a Syrian security outpost in Palmyra.

The United States Central Command (Centcom) announced from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, that it had launched Operation « Hawkeye » (Hawk's Eye) on the orders of the commander-in-chief.

« Centcom forces struck more than 70 targets in several locations in central Syria using fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery, » the command's statement said. « Jordanian armed forces also provided support with fighter jets. The operation used more than 100 precision munitions targeting known Daesh infrastructure and weapons sites, » the statement added.

Jordanian Participation

« This operation is crucial to prevent Daesh from inspiring terrorist plots and attacks against US territory, » said Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of Centcom. « We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners throughout the region. »

« Following the December 13 attack against US and Syrian service members, US forces and their partners conducted 10 operations in Syria and Iraq, resulting in the neutralization or capture of 23 terrorists, » the statement continued.

The strikes targeted IS cells in the Homs, Raqqa, and Deir Ezzor regions, according to a Syrian security source.

Neighboring Jordan said it had supported this operation aimed at "preventing extremist organizations from exploiting" southern Syria to launch attacks "threatening the security of its neighbors and the region". The Jordanian army expressed concern about "the reconstruction of IS forces".

Israel, which also shares a border with Syria, for its part, affirmed that it had "apprehended" on Wednesday in the south of that country an "alleged terrorist affiliated" with IS who was brought into Israel.

Nearly 80 Operations

« Since July, US forces and their partners in Syria have conducted nearly 80 operations to eliminate terrorists, including Daesh elements, who posed a direct threat to the United States and its interests abroad, » the Centcom statement added.

« Over the past year, Daesh has organized at least 11 plots or attacks against targets in the United States. In response, Centcom operations have resulted in the arrest of 119 terrorists and the death of 14 of them over the past six months, thus disrupting Daesh's efforts to reconstitute itself and inspire terrorist attacks globally, » the statement continued.

« Last month, US service members from the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve collaborated with the Syrian Ministry of Interior to locate and destroy more than 15 sites housing Daesh weapons caches in southern Syria.

The joint operation resulted in the destruction of over 130 mortars and rockets, numerous rifles, machine guns, anti-tank mines, and equipment used in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices.

« We have now conducted several collaborative campaigns with the Syrian government to counter specific Daesh threats, » said Admiral Cooper. « These are tangible security gains that we can achieve on the ground through close cooperation with Syrian government forces. »

What about the American contingent in Syria?

« The deployment of our forces to eliminate these individuals strengthens the security of the United States and the region, » Cooper said. « We will continue to work closely with our Syrian partners to track down IS networks and prevent their resurgence. »

During the war in Syria, triggered in 2011 by pro-democracy demonstrations, IS had controlled vast territories, including the Palmyra region, before being defeated by the international coalition in 2019.

Despite its defeat, its fighters, having retreated into the vast Syrian desert, continue to carry out sporadic attacks.

Donald Trump's return to power, generally skeptical of US troop deployments abroad, raises the question of maintaining this military presence.

The Pentagon had announced in April that the United States would halve the number of American soldiers in Syria, whose current total strength is not officially known.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), based in the United Kingdom but with a vast network of sources in the country, the visit of the American delegation to Palmyra "is part of a US strategy aimed at expanding its presence in Syria," particularly in desert areas.

Present in Syria for several years, the Americans established a base in Al-Tanf in the south of the country in 2016, at the intersection of the borders of Syria, Jordan, and Iraq.

They are also present in the provinces of Hasakah and Raqqa, to support the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the Kurds of "Rojava" (Syrian Kurdistan). They are fighting pro-Iranian militias based in the Deir Ezzor region.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the Kurds and supported by the United States, hold a portion of the eastern bank of the Euphrates.

They gained these territories by fighting with the support of the Washington-led coalition against Daesh. Indeed, the SDF were the spearhead of the fight against IS, which was driven from its strongholds in Syria in 2019, after a rapid rise in power in 2014 and the conquest of vast territories in that country and neighboring Iraq.

Daesh was officially declared "defeated" in 2019 in Baghouz, on the Syrian-Iraqi border.

The international coalition also has bases at the Al-Omar oil field, the largest in Syria, as well as at the Conoco gas field.