Syria monitor says US strikes killed at least five ISIL members
DAMASCUS
U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth salute as a U.S. Army carry team moves a flagged-draped transfer case containing the remains of Iowa National Guardsman Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard at Dover Air Force Base on December 17, 2025 in Dover, Delaware.
A Syria monitor on Dec. 20 said that five ISIL terrorists had been killed in U.S. strikes overnight as Jordan confirmed it participated in the raids, after a deadly attack on American troops last weekend.
U.S. forces said they had struck more than 70 ISIL targets in what President Donald Trump described as "very serious retaliation" for the Dec. 13 attack that killed two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. civilian.
Washington has said a lone ISIL gunman carried out the attack in central Syria's Palmyra, home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins and once controlled by ISIL terrorists.
It was the first such incident since the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December last year, and Syrian authorities said the perpetrator was a security forces member who had been due to be fired for his "extremist Islamist ideas.”
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP that "at least five members of the ISIL group were killed" in eastern Syria's Deir Ezzor province. They included the leader of a cell responsible for drones in the area.
Jordan's military said its air force had joined the operation "to prevent extremist organizations from exploiting these areas as launching pads to threaten the security of Syria's neighbors and the region, particularly after terrorist organisation IS reconstituted itself and rebuilt its capacities in southern Syria.”
A Syrian security source told AFP that the U.S. strikes targeted ISIL cells in Syria's vast Badia desert including in Homs, Deir Ezzor and Raqa provinces. The operation did not include ground operations.
Most of the targets were in a mountainous area running north of Palmyra including towards Deir Ezzor, the source said, requesting anonymity.
A U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) statement said the United States struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria with fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery.
"The operation employed more than 100 precision munitions targeting known ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites," CENTCOM said, using another acronym for the terrorist organization.
A Syrian security official, also requesting anonymity, told AFP "the bombardment was intense" and had lasted around five hours.