US escalates air campaign against ISIS in Syria under Hawkeye Strike
The US military conducted 10 strikes on more than 30 Islamic State targets in Syria between Feb 3 and Feb 12 as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, targeting ISIS infrastructure and weapons storage and hitting over 100 targets in total. The effort followed an ambush in Palmyra that killed US personnel and prompted intensified efforts against ISIS. Washington has worked with the Kurdish-led SDF, while Damascus has joined the anti-IS coalition and agreed to cooperate. The US is reducing its troop footprint, evacuating detainees to Iraq for trial, and Syria has taken control of key ISIS prisons and camps, including al-Hawl, though humanitarian groups say the foreigners’ annex at the camp has largely emptied.