On December 13, 2025, a quiet Saturday turned deadly near the ancient ruins of Palmyra in Syria. A gunman from Syria’s security forces opened fire during a routine meeting, killing two U.S. soldiers from the Iowa National Guard and their civilian interpreter. Sergeants William Nathaniel Howard, 29, from Marshalltown, Iowa, and Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, from Des Moines, Iowa, served in the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division. They had arrived in Syria in late May as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
The third victim, Ayad Mansoor Sakat, was a 54-year-old interpreter born in Bakhdida, Iraq. He had supported U.S. forces from 2003 to 2007. The group was at a fortified command facility for a key leader engagement when the attack happened at the gate. Syrian partner forces shot and killed the attacker right away. Syria’s Interior Ministry later said the gunman had been flagged for extremist views just four days earlier, with plans to dismiss him on December 14. This event highlighted weaknesses in Syria’s security forces after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.
Quick Response and Buildup to Retaliation
President Donald Trump quickly addressed the attack on Truth Social. He called it an ISIS assault in a dangerous area and vowed strong retaliation alongside Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Between December 13 and 19, U.S. and partner forces carried out 10 operations in Syria and Iraq. These efforts captured or killed 23 ISIS fighters. Interrogations and captured materials provided key intelligence that sped up planning.
By December 18, U.S. Air Force teams prepared GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions on F-15E Strike Eagles. Some bombs were even signed by Iowa National Guard members. At 4:00 PM Eastern Time on December 19, Trump approved Operation Hawkeye Strike—a name honoring Iowa’s nickname as the Hawkeye State. The operation aimed to hit back hard and fast against ISIS threats.
The Precision Strikes Across Syria
Operation Hawkeye Strike unleashed more than 100 precision-guided weapons on over 70 ISIS targets in central Syria. The strikes hit command centers, weapons storage, training camps, drone operations, and supply lines in Homs, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor provinces. These areas had seen ISIS regroup since 2019. Targets stretched across harsh deserts, including Jabal al-Amour near Palmyra, Ma’adan in Raqqa, and Al-Hammad in Deir ez-Zor, covering more than 300 kilometers.
The U.S. used 2,000-pound GBU-31 JDAMs, guided by GPS and inertial systems, to destroy hardened sites. HIMARS rockets struck distant depots up to 92 kilometers away. Each JDAM guidance kit costs $20,000 to $30,000, putting the total for these systems at $2 million to $3 million. Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16s joined from the south, showing the wider regional concerns over refugees and border dangers. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least five ISIS members killed, including a leader who managed drones.
Syria’s Challenges and the Long-Term Fight
Syria’s transitional government under President al-Sharaa formed after Assad’s ouster in December 2024. It welcomed U.S. help but faced ongoing issues, like extremists hiding in its security ranks, as the ambush showed. Syria’s Foreign Ministry pledged to wipe out ISIS hideouts. U.S. Central Command’s Admiral Brad Cooper emphasized that the strikes disrupted threats to the U.S. homeland from ISIS’s 1,500 to 3,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq, plus networks in over 60 countries. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the action as a message of revenge and warned attackers of nonstop pursuit.
The operation wrapped up six months of intense work. From June to December, more than 80 missions detained 119 militants and killed 14, including the destruction of 15 weapons caches in November. On December 20, Trump praised the flawless strikes. The fallen soldiers’ remains returned to Des Moines on Christmas Eve via KC-135 Stratotanker. Governor Kim Reynolds, Senator Joni Ernst, and Guard members honored them in a solemn ceremony.
This incident underscores the shaky U.S.-Syria alliance against ISIS, which has shifted from a 2014 caliphate of 50,000 fighters to smaller groups behind nearly 700 attacks in Syria last year. With 8,500 detained militants and 38,400 family members in camps, plus gaps in local control, the battle requires constant attention to stop comebacks and protect borders.
Sources
CENTCOM Launches Operation Hawkeye Strike Against ISIS in Syria. U.S. Central Command, December 19, 2025
Army Identifies Two Casualties. War.gov, December 13, 2025
Two Iowa Guard Soldiers Killed in Attack in Syria. Iowa National Guard Public Affairs, December 13, 2025
Reports on Operation Hawkeye Strike. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, December 19-20, 2025
Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-31/32/38 Fact Sheet. U.S. Air Force, accessed December 2025
KC-135 Stratotanker Fact Sheet. U.S. Air Force, accessed December 2025