Damascus – A Syrian military source said on Sunday that the international coalition is expected to carry out new airstrikes against ISIS positions in Syria within the coming hours.
In a statement to +963, the source said the anticipated strikes will target multiple areas in the Syrian desert, with a particular focus on the Deir ez-Zor desert in eastern Syria.
The source explained that the pause in coalition airstrikes over the past two days was due to extensive aerial reconnaissance operations conducted across desert areas to identify ISIS movements and targets.
According to the source, ISIS militants are concentrated in the Al-Bishri Mountain area in the western countryside of Deir ez-Zor, where their cells were hit by three airstrikes at dawn on Saturday, killing two ISIS members.
On Saturday, international coalition forces launched an operation against ISIS in Syria under the name “Hawkeye Strike”, carrying out heavy bombardment of ISIS positions in the eastern provinces of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa.
Read also: Operation “Hawkeye Strike”: Retaliation and the US Strategy Against ISIS
In a statement, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had “initiated Operation Eagle Eye against ISIS in Syria, under directives from the Commander-in-Chief,” adding that more than 70 ISIS sites were targeted in various locations across the country.
CENTCOM said the attacks were carried out using fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery, with support from the Jordanian Armed Forces through fighter aircraft.
The statement confirmed that more than 100 precision-guided munitions were used to strike ISIS infrastructure facilities and weapons storage depots.
CENTCOM Commander General Brad Cooper said the operation was “critical to preventing ISIS from planning terrorist attacks against the United States,” adding that US forces would continue pursuing militants who seek to harm Americans and Washington’s partners in the region.
He noted that US and coalition forces had conducted 10 operations in Syria and Iraq following the December 13 attack on US forces in Syria, resulting in the killing or arrest of 23 ISIS members.
US President Donald Trump said he had ordered a “large military strike” against militants responsible for killing three US personnel in Syria, adding in a post on Truth Social that the strike was “highly successful and precise.”
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal, citing a US Department of Defense official, reported that the strikes in Syria were carried out using F-15 and A-10 aircraft, Apache helicopters, and HIMARS rocket systems.
