Jordan Confirms Role in US Airstrikes Targeting Islamic State Sites in Syria
The Jordanian Armed Forces confirmed Saturday that it joined US forces in an operation in Syria targeting Islamic State (IS) cells. The military said the strikes on Friday were intended to prevent armed groups from using Syrian territory as launchpads for attacks against neighboring states and the broader region.
According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation involved more than 70 suspected IS-linked targets spread across central Syria and employed over 100 precision-guided munitions. CENTCOM said Jordanian aircraft provided air support during the mission, which targeted weapons depots, logistical hubs, and other infrastructure associated with the group.
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The strikes followed a deadly ambush on Dec. 13 in Syria in which two US service members and a US civilian interpreter were killed, and three additional US troops were wounded. Officials said the attack was carried out by a lone IS gunman. In the days that followed, US and allied forces conducted 10 separate operations in Syria and Iraq, resulting in the deaths or detention of 23 Islamic State operatives.
No organization has publicly claimed responsibility for the Dec. 13 attack. Syrian authorities later identified the assailant as a member of the country’s internal security service, without providing further details.
In a statement posted after the airstrikes, Syria’s foreign affairs authority said Damascus remained committed to combating IS and preventing it from establishing safe havens on Syrian soil. The statement added that Syria would continue intensifying military operations against the group wherever it poses a threat and called on the United States and other members of the international coalition to support those efforts in ways that protect civilians and help restore stability.
Although the Islamic State lost most of the territory it once controlled in Syria and Iraq, US officials have repeatedly warned that surviving cells continue to carry out insurgent attacks. They say the latest operation was designed to degrade the group’s remaining capabilities and disrupt its ability to plan future assaults across the region.
