In 3rd attack in Syria, US kills leader linked to ISIS ambush: CENTCOM

Three Americans were killed in the ambush in Palmyra, Syria.

ByABC NEWS

January 17, 2026, 3:21 PM

The U.S. military launched a third round of retaliatory strikes in Syria on Friday, killing an Al-Qaeda-affiliated leader with ties to an ambush attack by an ISIS gunman last month that killed three Americans, U.S. officials said. 

The latest strike was conducted in northwest Syria, U.S. Central Command announced in a news release on Saturday. 

"The death of a terrorist operative linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve in pursuing terrorists who attack our forces," said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. "There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot, or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters. We will find you." 

The alleged Al-Qaeda-affiliated leader was identified as Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, who U.S. officials said "was directly connected" to the ISIS gunman who killed two U.S. service members and an American civilian interpreter in Palmyra, Syria, on Dec. 13. 

In the wake of that attack, the U.S. launched a series of "large-scale strikes" in Syria in an operation dubbed Hawkeye Strike. Overall, the strikes, carried out with U.S. partners, have targeted more than 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons site targets, CENTCOM said. 

The two U.S. soldiers who were killed in an attack in Syria were members of the Iowa National Guard, state officials said. They were identified as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa.