The targets included weapons caches, supply routes and other infrastructure used by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, Captain Hawkins said in an email. The strikes on Saturday came after American fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery fired more than 100 munitions at more than 70 suspected Islamic State targets across central Syria, including weapons storage areas and other operational-support buildings, on Dec. 19. The Americans were supporting counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State in Palmyra, a city in central Syria, when they came under fire from a lone gunman. Though it no longer holds much territory, the Islamic State is still spreading its radical ideology through clandestine cells and regional affiliates outside Syria and online. U.S. military and Syrian security personnel in November carried out missions to locate and destroy more than 15 Islamic State weapons caches in southern Syria.

Source: New York Times January 11, 2026 15:06 UTC