ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Wednesday that its forces carried out five strikes against Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Syria between January 27 and February 2 in a continuation of a retaliatory operation following a December attack in Palmyra by the extremist group that killed three American citizens.

“CENTCOM forces located and destroyed an ISIS communication site, critical logistics node, and weapons storage facilities with 50 precision munitions delivered by fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft,” it added. 

In late December, US forces killed seven suspected ISIS operatives in Syria in coordination with partner forces. The operations came after Washington launched Operation Hawkeye Strike earlier that month in retaliation for the separate ISIS attack in the Palmyra desert following an earlier ISIS attack that killed three American personnel.

“Striking these targets demonstrates our continued focus and resolve for preventing an ISIS resurgence in Syria,” said Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. 

“Operating in coordination with coalition and partner forces to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS makes America, the region, and the world safer,” he added. 

Following the extremist groups' December attack, “more than 50 ISIS terrorists have been killed or captured,” the report added. 

Despite being territorially defeated in 2019, ISIS still poses a security threat across Syria, with the extremist group mostly resorting to hit-and-run attacks.

In 2025, ISIS carried out at least 11 plots or attacks against targets in the US, CENTCOM said in an earlier statement. “In response, US and partner forces in Syria have conducted operations during the last 12 months that resulted in more than 300 terrorists being detained and over 20 killed.”

Syria joined the international coalition to defeat ISIS in November, becoming the body’s 90th partner to join the global fight against the group.

The announcement was made a day after Syrian Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited the US and met with US President Donald Trump, during which Washington temporarily suspended key Caesar Act sanctions on Damascus and suggested that Syria should join the coalition.