Kathmandu. The United States has launched a new round of retaliatory strikes against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria after a deadly attack last month killed two US soldiers and an interpreter.

According to the U.S. Central Command, the U.S.-led coalition launched a series of airstrikes around 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday. The attacks focused on multiple IS targets in various locations in Syria. The Jordanian army has also confirmed its involvement in the operation.

The measures were in direct response to last month’s IS attack in the Palmyra region at the behest of President Donald Trump. Iowa National Guard Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and U.S. interpreter Ayad Mansour Sakat were killed in the attack.

“If anyone harms our troops, we will find and prosecute them wherever they are in the world,” the US Central Command said in a statement. ”

Earlier in the day, Syrian officials said a top IS leader had been arrested in the Levant region. It did not disclose the details of which of the coalition forces were involved in Saturday’s operation.

The Trump administration has called the entire military response after the Palmyra incident “Operation Hockey Strike”. The December 19 strike destroyed about 70 IS targets in central Syria, including the group’s infrastructure and weapons stockpiles.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have long been a key US ally against IS in Syria. Since the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Washington has increased coordination with the central government in Damascus. Recently, Syria has officially joined the International Coalition Against IS.