Terrorist Leader Linked To Recent Attack On Americans Eliminated In Syria Strikes

The Pentagon announced Saturday that a precision airstrike conducted the previous day (January 16) in northwest Syria killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, a leader affiliated with Al-Qaeda networks in the region.

According to a statement from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), al-Jasim was an experienced terrorist figure who had been involved in plotting attacks against U.S. and partner forces. He maintained direct operational connections to the ISIS gunman responsible for the deadly ambush on December 13, 2025, in Palmyra, Syria, which killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter.

This link reportedly facilitated coordination or support that enabled the attack, highlighting complex cross-group dynamics in Syria’s fragmented security environment.

The December 13 incident unfolded during a routine joint engagement near Palmyra, where U.S. personnel and Syrian security forces were meeting to coordinate counter-terrorism activities. A lone gunman, identified as a member of Syria’s Internal Security Service with suspected ISIS ties, suddenly opened fire on the group.

The attacker was subsequently engaged and killed. The assault claimed the lives of two Iowa Army National Guard soldiers: Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown.

U.S. civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat, from Macomb, Michigan, was also killed in the attack.

Official Iowa National Guard photos of Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar. pic.twitter.com/1DtYTovL0u

— Iowa National Guard (@IowaNatGuard) December 15, 2025

The attack was swiftly attributed to ISIS, with President Trump vowing retaliation and characterizing it as a direct assault by the terrorist group. It marked the first U.S. military casualties in Syria since the post-Assad drawdown, reigniting concerns about mission creep and the risks to American troops engaged in counter-ISIS operations.

In the wake of the attack, the U.S. launched Operation Hawkeye Strike, an ongoing ramp-up of strikes against terrorist targets in the Syrian desert. The first phase unfolded on December 19, 2025, when U.S. fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery unleashed over 200 precision munitions on more than 100 ISIS targets across central Syria, including weapons storage facilities, infrastructure, and operational hubs.

A second round followed on January 10, 2026, which targeted additional ISIS fighters and sites throughout Syria. The January 16 strike on al-Jasim has been described as a targeted operation aimed at the terrorist leader specifically.

CENTCOM has reported no civilian casualties in these operations and reiterated that U.S. forces will continue to pursue terrorist targets in the region.

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