Clarion Newschannel Middle East Report – December 27, 2025
In a powerful display of force, the United States, supported by Jordanian fighter jets, launched Operation Hawkeye Strike on December 19, 2025, hammering more than 70 Islamic State (ISIS) targets across central and eastern Syria with over 100 precision munitions. The large-scale airstrikes, involving U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles, A-10 Thunderbolt II “Warthogs,” AH-64 Apache helicopters, and HIMARS rocket systems, were a direct retaliation for the deadly ambush near the ancient city of Palmyra on December 13.
The Palmyra attack claimed the lives of two U.S. soldiers from the Iowa National Guard – Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown – along with civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat. Three other U.S. personnel were wounded. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) described the incident as an ambush by a lone gunman suspected of ISIS sympathies, a member of Syrian security forces who was subsequently killed. Although ISIS has not formally claimed responsibility, the group praised the attack as a “blow” to U.S. and Syrian forces.
Targets struck included command centers, weapons depots, training facilities, drone sites, and logistical hubs in areas such as the Jabal al-Amour mountains near Palmyra (Homs province), the Ma’adan desert (Raqqa province), and al-Hammad desert (Deir ez-Zor province). The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least five ISIS militants killed, including a cell leader responsible for drone operations.
Jordan’s Royal Air Force contributed F-16 fighter jets, with the kingdom stating the operation aimed to prevent ISIS from using Syrian territory as a launchpad to threaten regional security, noting the group’s recent regrouping in southern Syria.
President Donald Trump called the strikes “very successful,” declaring, “We hit the ISIS thugs in Syria who were trying to regroup… We hit them hard.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described it as “a declaration of vengeance” while emphasizing it was not the start of a broader war.
The Syrian government, under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, expressed full support, reiterating its commitment to eradicating ISIS and ensuring no safe havens on Syrian soil. The strikes were coordinated amid ongoing U.S.-Syrian counter-terrorism cooperation, following Syria’s recent joining of the global anti-ISIS coalition.
This operation underscores persistent ISIS threats in Syria’s vast desert regions, despite the group’s territorial defeat in 2019. U.S. forces maintain around 1,000-2,000 troops in Syria primarily to prevent an ISIS resurgence.
Clarion Newschannel will provide updates as assessments of the strikes’ impact continue.
VENGEANCE UNLEASHED: US and Jordan Pound Over 70 ISIS Targets in Massive Retaliatory Strikes Across Syria
