A US strike in Syria has killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, a man the US military described as an al-Qaeda-affiliated leader with direct ties to an Islamic State (IS) attacker involved in a deadly ambush in Palmyra last month. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strike took place in northwest Syria on Jan. 16 and was part of a retaliatory campaign after the Dec. 13 attack that killed two US service members and an American interpreter.
CENTCOM said al-Jasim was “an experienced terrorist leader” who plotted attacks and was directly connected to the IS gunman linked to the Palmyra ambush, which also injured American and Syrian personnel. BBC News reported that the US military described the target as having “direct connections” to the IS militant tied to the ambush, and added that the US claims have not been independently verified.
What CENTCOM says happened
CENTCOM said the strike in northwest Syria resulted in al-Jasim’s death and framed the operation as a response to an attack that killed two US service members and an American interpreter on Dec. 13, 2025. In its statement, CENTCOM said the ambush occurred in Palmyra, Syria, and attributed it to an IS terrorist connected to al-Jasim.
Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM’s commander, said the killing showed US resolve to pursue those who attack US forces and warned there is “no safe place” for people who conduct, plot, or inspire attacks on Americans. The same statement said the US would continue to find those responsible for such attacks.
Link to the Palmyra ambush
Several outlets, citing US officials and CENTCOM, described the Dec. 13 incident as an ambush in Palmyra that killed two US soldiers and one American civilian interpreter. CityNews reported the deaths as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat.
The Hill also identified Torres-Tovar and Howard as members of the Iowa National Guard while reporting on the strike and its connection to the Palmyra attack. NPR similarly reported the strike as the third round of retaliatory US action in Syria connected to the December ambush and identified the same three Americans as the fatalities.
Operation “Hawkeye Strike” and wider strikes
CENTCOM said it launched large-scale strikes in Syria in response to the Dec. 13 attack and said the operation was dubbed “Hawkeye Strike.” CENTCOM said Hawkeye Strike involved US and partner forces hitting more than 100 IS infrastructure and weapons-site targets with over 200 precision munitions.
The Globe and Mail reported that the Jan. 16 strike was described as the latest action in a broader US operation ordered by President Donald Trump after the ambush, aimed at targeting what Trump called “ISIS thugs.” CityNews reported the same framing and said Trump stressed that Syria was fighting alongside American troops as the US expanded cooperation with security forces in the coalition against IS.
The Globe and Mail and Times of India both reported that CENTCOM said partners including Jordan and Syria were involved as the campaign targeted more than 100 IS-linked infrastructure and weapons sites. In its own statement, CENTCOM also said that over the past year, US and partner forces captured more than 300 IS operatives and killed over 20 across Syria.
Differing details reported
Yahoo News described the Jan. 16 strike as the first time a specific target was confirmed in retaliation for the Dec. 13 incident, while also noting that details about al-Jasim were limited. Yahoo also reported that the Dec. 13 killings happened while the Americans were participating in a delegation to meet Syrian officials in Palmyra, a detail not included in CENTCOM’s statement.
BBC News reported that the US account had not been independently verified. Across reports, the core description remained that the strike in northwest Syria killed al-Jasim, whom the US described as al-Qaeda-affiliated and tied to an IS attacker connected to the Palmyra ambush.
