March 16, 2026.
On December 19, 2025, the United States military began Operation Hawkeye Strike, a series of large-scale airstrikes against ISIS weapons sites and infrastructure in Syria. While the operation was aimed at disabling and preventing a resurgence of ISIS, Secretary Hegseth stated that it was “not the beginning of a war,” but instead a “declaration of vengeance” in response to the attack on U.S. servicemembers. On December 13, near Palmyra, two Iowa National Guardsmen and one civilian were killed in a terrorist attack during a meeting with Syrian officials. Syrian authorities later revealed that the perpetrator was a member of the Syrian security forces and had been under investigation for extremist ideas. Immediately following the attack, CENTCOM released a statement declaring that ISIS was responsible for the attack.
The nature of this attack raises numerous concerns, the first being that the Syrian government’s investigation of individuals with extremist ideas appears contradictory. Syria’s new government, formerly HTS, is comprised of jihadists, many of whom have had or maintain connections with al-Qaeda and its umbrella factions, such as the Turkistan Islamic Party. Furthermore, Ahmed al-Sharaa’s network is built on militant Sunni Islamism, as he was previously the emir of al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch, Jabhat al-Nusra. Therefore, he and his top commanders, as well as rank-and-file soldiers, come from a decade of militant Islamist ideology and practices, frequently utilizing suicide attacks in their campaigns. On the other hand, if this individual was under investigation for extremist ideas, why was he allowed anywhere near American soldiers? Underlining the issue of radical extremism embedded within the Syrian security apparatus, this attack has yet to be claimed by ISIS. It remains possible that the incident was carried out by a self-radicalized individual, with ISIS being blamed by Sharaa’s government in the absence of a formal claim. Furthermore, an attack of this scale, successfully killing two Americans, would likely be heavily featured in ISIS propaganda.
The Trump administration has been far too lenient with the Syrian authorities, as the U.S. provided no official demands in exchange for sanctions relief and has failed to continuously pressure the regime. In March 2025, Trump pressured Sharaa to expel foreign fighters from his government, which has yet to happen. Furthermore, this attack highlights the Syrian authorities’ inability to control rank-and-file soldiers, as evidenced by the 2025 Alawite massacre in Latakia. Exacerbating this issue is the fact that entire foreign fighter units remain intact and operate as umbrella units under Sharaa’s leadership, one of which was responsible for the massacre in Latakia. Therefore, it is likely that radicalized fighters, both Syrian nationals and foreigners, will continue to threaten stability in a post-conflict Syria, as more may grow increasingly opposed to Sharaa’s government the more it “Westernizes.”
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