The Pentagon has announced that an operation in northwest Syria has killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, a senior terrorist leader affiliated with Al-Qaeda–linked networks operating in the region.
The Department of War (DOW) confirmed Saturday that Hasan al-Jasim was eliminated in a U.S. precision airstrike carried out on Friday.
According to a statement from U.S. Central Command, al-Jasim was a seasoned jihadist figure involved in plotting attacks against U.S. and partner forces.
CENTCOM said he maintained direct operational links to the ISIS gunman responsible for the December 13, 2025, ambush near Palmyra, Syria, that killed two American service members and a civilian interpreter.
U.S. officials said those connections helped facilitate coordination or support for the attack, underscoring the fluid cooperation between terrorist factions operating inside Syria’s fractured security landscape.
December Ambush Killed Two U.S. Soldiers
The December 13 attack occurred during what officials described as a routine joint engagement near Palmyra, where U.S. personnel were meeting with Syrian security forces to coordinate counterterrorism efforts, as Slay News reported at the time.
During the meeting, a lone gunman, identified as a member of Syria’s Internal Security Service with suspected ISIS ties, opened fire on the group.
The attacker was engaged and killed, but the assault claimed the lives of two Iowa Army National Guard soldiers: Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown.
U.S. civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Macomb, Michigan, was also killed.
The attack was quickly attributed to ISIS.
President Donald Trump condemned the assault and vowed retaliation, calling it a direct act of terrorism against U.S. forces.
The ambush marked the first American military deaths in Syria since the post-Assad drawdown and renewed scrutiny over the risks facing U.S. troops engaged in counter-ISIS missions.
Official Iowa National Guard photos of Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar. pic.twitter.com/1DtYTovL0u
— Iowa National Guard (@IowaNatGuard) December 15, 2025
Operation Hawkeye Strike Targets Terror Networks
In response, the United States launched Operation Hawkeye Strike, a sustained campaign targeting terrorist infrastructure and leadership in the Syrian desert.
The first phase began on December 19, 2025, when U.S. fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery fired more than 200 precision munitions at over 100 ISIS targets across central Syria, including weapons depots, operational hubs, and logistical infrastructure.
A second wave followed on January 10, 2026, striking additional ISIS fighters and sites.
U.S. officials described the January 16 airstrike that killed al-Jasim as a highly targeted operation aimed specifically at dismantling terrorist leadership linked to attacks on American forces.
CENTCOM said it has no reports of civilian casualties from the strikes and reaffirmed that U.S. forces will continue pursuing terrorist threats in the region.
The operation reflects the Trump administration’s broader posture of responding decisively to attacks on U.S. personnel and disrupting terrorist networks before they can carry out further violence.
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