My media grazing includes no major network news, so I was quite surprised when I checked Legal Insurrection and saw we had bombed the snot out of multiple Islamic State targets in Syria.
The United States carried out “large-scale strikes” against Islamic State (ISIS) targets across Syria in response to a deadly terrorist attack on American soldiers in the country.
On Friday night, over 70 terrorist targets were hit using fighter jets, helicopters, and artillery as part of the “Operation Haw[k]eye Strike,” the U.S. Military confirmed. “U.S. Central Command said the strikes hit more than 70 targets across central Syria, adding that Jordanian fighter jets supported the operation,” Reuters reported. “One U.S. official said the strikes were carried out by U.S. F-15 and A-10 jets, along with Apache helicopters and HIMARS rocket systems.”
No F-35s or B-2s. Evidently 40- or 50-year old U.S. miltech is quite sufficient to eliminate remnants of the failed caliphate.
70 is not a small number of targets, and that number reminds the world that the United States military is in a different weight class than everyone else.
The overnight strikes were in retaliation for last week’s ISIS terror attack that killed three Americans, including two soldiers, in the city of Palmyra, central Syria.
Tonight, U.S. and Jordanian forces struck 70+ ISIS targets in Syria with 100+ precision munitions. Peace through strength. pic.twitter.com/XWWvfqBBFT
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 20, 2025
Ahead of the strike, in a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump promised a “very serious retaliation” against “ISIS thugs in Syria” for the terrorist attack on American personnel, saying: “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 U.S.A.”
On Friday night, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed that the U.S. Military was conducting massive strikes “to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites.” It was “in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces that occurred on December 13th in Palmyra, Syria,” he wrote on X.
According to the War Secretary, the U.S. was not starting a war in the region, but exacting retribution for the act of terror against its soldiers. “This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance,” he declared.
It’s hard to imagine Obama, Biden, or even the Bushes or Reagan using the “declaration of vengeance” rhetoric, the precise sort of Old Testament language guaranteed to send the chattering classes to their fainting couches. After all, why commit acts of vengeance when you can flood the Middle East with money routed through dodgy NGOs in futile efforts to convince the jihadist organizations to make friends with us?
Don’t be deceived by all the “Trump hates war” rhetoric. You know what Trump hates worse than war? Americans dead at the hands of Islamic terrorists.
Like I said, I usually don’t pay attention to the left-leaning MSM for anything, but is it just me, or is the usual wailing and rending of garments anytime a Republican president authorizes military action either muted or entirely absent here? The attacks seem to have invoked none of the usual histrionic outrage.
My working theory is that everyone who could trot out the usual liberal talking points is already on Christmas vacation and won’t be able to perform their usual regurgitation until January. If they’re not there to spew out press releases, then for all intents and purposes they cease to exist. It seems like if airstrike falls in the forest when they’re on vacation, it doesn’t make a sound.
That vaunted American foreign policy establishment has been wrong about the Middle East most of the time. Between the Abraham Accords and obliterating Iran’s nuclear program, it seems Donald Trump has racked up more successes in the region than they ever did.
Maybe it’s time to ignore crooked NGOs and foreign policy fossils who toil away in places with [Anything] Institute for Peace at the top of their resumes.
It’s time to treat the traditional foreign policy establishment as damage and route around it.
Tags: A-10 Warthog, Apache Helicopter, Bombing, Central Command (CENTCOM), Christmas, F-15, HIMARS, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Jihad, Legal Insurrection, Media Watch, Military, Operation Hawkeye Strike, Palmyra, Pete Hegseth, Syria, Vijeta Uniyal
Old Testament? Try “fake tough talk from a spoiled momma’s boy.”
Serious dudes don’t talk in preposterous phrases.
Besides, we undoubtedly gave the Syrian government advance notice. That means ISIS had plenty of time to evacuate.
Yeah, A-10s. The ones they don’t need to keep, and the ones for which there is not even an R&D / DARPA project to think about a CAS replacement.
And tell me again how drones, with specific drone models named, could do what these declared-obsolete Warthogs and Strike Eagles just did in Syria.
Declared obsolete as all TACAIR has been by the quadcopter enthusiasts.
Without knowing more details, it’s impossible to say which targets could and couldn’t have been taken out by drones.
It may be that longer range strikes requiring multiple targets and heavy ordinance could only have been taken out by an F-15 or A-10. For long range strikes with only a single target, an MQ-9 Reaper drone might well have been able to take out the target.
For medium range strikes against multiple smaller targets (say, a small tent camp), something like a Baba Yaga might be suited for the job. For short range strikes against individual targets, a number of FPS drones might be suitable.
If you want to take out a convoy of light to moderately armored vehicles, it’s going to be tough to beat the A-10.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.
As far as I’ve been able to find, the War Department doesn’t have an official motto. That should be it.
“‘One U.S. official said the strikes were carried out by U.S. F-15 and *A-10 JETS*, along with Apache helicopters and HIMARS rocket systems…'”
Isn’t it odd how the Warthog continues to fill up graveyards in Syria yet is considered to be a war relic, like black powder muskets?
“Isn’t it odd how the Warthog continues to fill up graveyards in Syria yet is considered to be a war relic, like black powder muskets?”
Your beloved Ukrainian Nazis were offered all the A-10s they wanted. They refused.
The A-10 was a great weapon system 50 years ago, but it is only suitable for killing barefoot tribesmen today. On the modern battlefield, MANPADS and other air defense systems clear the skies of subsonic aircraft.
“Your beloved Ukrainian Nazis were offered all the A-10s they wanted. They refused.”
The Warthog’s role was interdicting Russian tanks poring through the Fulda Gap. Russians have few remaining tanks these days and those are easily handled by Ukranian drone operators.
The A-10 would prove useful in flanking Z-Russian positions in Zaporizhzhia but that endeavor seems a little premature at this time.
“The A-10 would prove useful in flanking Z-Russian positions in Zaporizhzhia but that endeavor seems a little premature at this time.”
The A-10’s role was CAS, anywhere over a battlefield. CAS aircraft and their pilots are dead meat over the modern battlefield. Both the Russians and the Ukrainians lost all their Su-25’s to MANPADS. Ukrainian MiG-19s and F-16 have also been wiped out in the CAS role. They are now relegated to chasing drones over Lviv Oblast.
The A-10 would fare no better than the Su-25. Fielding them over a modern battlefield would be an act of murder – killing their pilots.
“The A-10 would fare no better than the Su-25. Fielding them over a modern battlefield…”
Not necessarily disagreeing, but are you saying that Daesh in Syria has no MANPADs?
AFAIK these Warthogs dropped precision-kitted large bombs from altitude, as did the Strike Eagles, so Daesh would need in-depth multi-tier SAM arrays to come close to the environment over Flanders… er, Ukraine.
“[Z-Russians] would need in-depth multi-tier SAM arrays…”
Russia air defense eez stronk!
“Not necessarily disagreeing, but are you saying that Daesh in Syria has no MANPADs?”
Uncertain. Two issues here:
1) The Turks and Iraqis are the source of most ISIS weapons and both tend to be parsimonious with high dollar items like MANPADS. Off EUC MANPADS are still pretty rare and don’t get shared, even with friends.
2) MANPADS have distinct “best by dates” due to battery discharge over time. Why no one sweats the old Stingers in the hands of ISIS. The Turks and Iraqis could have unloaded their old stock on ISIS if they gave them any at all.
Neither of these issues exist on a modern battlefield, such as Ukraine. Both sides there have MANPADS aplenty backed up by all manner of SAMS and guns. Anything flying under 30,000 feet is toast.
The Israelis preceded us in bombing ISIS and reported no MANPADS, so we felt somewhat comfortable using A-10s.