"The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Friday that their forces have launched Operation Hawkeye Strike, targeting 'ISIS fighters, infrastructure and weapons sites' in Syria. Footage released by CENTCOM shows fighter jets taking off and attack helicopters flying above. The exact date and location of the footage published by CENTCOM cannot be independently verified. War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the operation in a post on X, calling it a 'direct response' to the December 13 Palmyra attack on US troops - which killed two Iowa National Guard members and an interpreter. "This is not the beginning of a war - it is a declaration of vengeance," he wrote on X, "If you target Americans - anywhere in the world - you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you." Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said that US forces are "inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised". "All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned — YOU WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE IF YOU, IN ANY WAY, ATTACK OR THREATEN THE USA," the President wrote on social media. CENTCOM claimed that their forces struck 'more than 70 targets' across Syria, adding that 'the Jordanian Armed Forces also supported with fighter aircraft". This comes after Syria's internal security forces, along with US soldiers and partner forces, were ambushed by a gunman near Palmyra last week. The US blamed the attack on ISIS."