The US military launched airstrikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in retaliation for an attack on US personnel, two US officials said on Friday.
The attacks come after Donald Trump vowed to hit back after an attack last weekend in Syria by a suspected Islamic State member.
A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described the strikes as a large-scale response that included targets across central Syria.
Trump said on social media that the Syrian government fully supported the strikes and that the US was inflicting “very serious retaliation”.
US Central Command said the strikes hit more than 70 targets across central Syria, adding that Jordanian fighter jets supported the operation.
Syria reiterated its steadfast commitment to fighting Islamic State and ensuring that it has “no safe havens on Syrian territory”, according to a statement by the foreign ministry.
Two US Iowa national guard members and a civilian interpreter were killed on Saturday in the central Syrian town of Palmyra by an attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces before being shot dead, according to the US military. Three other US soldiers were also wounded in the attack.