The United States on Friday (local time) launched Operation Hawkeye Strike targeting Islamic State fighters in Syria in retaliation to the deaths of 2 American soldiers earlier this month. Terming it the “declaration of vengeance”, defense secretary Pete Hegseth said that it was not a “war”.“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,” he said Friday on social media.The operation involved F-15 Eagle fighter jets, A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft, and AH-64 Apache helicopters, AP quoted a US official saying.“President Trump told the world that the United States would retaliate for the killing of our heroes by ISIS in Syria, and he is delivering on that promise,” White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement.Two members of the Iowa National Guard and a US civilian interpreter were killed in a December 13 attack in the Syrian desert, which the Trump administration attributed to the Islamic State group.Shortly after news of the fatalities emerged, US President Donald Trump vowed “very serious retaliation” while emphasizing that Syrian forces were operating alongside US troops. Trump said Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed” by the incident, which occurred as the US military was increasing coordination with Syrian security forces. The fallen Guardsmen were part of a larger deployment of hundreds of US troops stationed in eastern Syria under a coalition campaign against IS.
