The US and its partner forces have carried out large-scale strikes against Islamic State (IS) group targets in Syria, the US Central Command (Centcom) has announced.

US President Donald Trump directed the strikes on Saturday, which are part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, in retaliation to IS's deadly attack on US forces in Syria on 13 December, Centcom wrote on X.

The strikes were conducted in an effort to combat terrorism and protect US and partner forces in the region, according to Centcom.

Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice, Centcom said.

The US and its partner forces fired more than 90 precision munitions at more than 35 targets in an operation that involved more than 20 aircraft, an official told CBS News.

Aircraft including F-15Es, A-10s, AC-130Js, MQ-9s, and Jordanian F-16s participated in the strikes. The location of the strikes and the extent of any casualties is not yet clear.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X on Saturday in reference to the military action, We will never forget, and never relent. The Trump administration had first announced Operation Hawkeye Strike in December following an IS gunman killing two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter in an ambush in Palmyra, located in central Syria.

This is not the beginning of a war - it is a declaration of vengeance, Hegseth stated when the operation was announced.

Prior to the recent strikes, US forces killed or captured nearly 25 IS group members in 11 missions between 20 December and 29 December as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike.

In the operation's first mission on 19 December, US and Jordanian forces executed a massive strike against IS, deploying fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery to strike more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria.

Syria has been in a fragile state since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in 2024, significantly shifting power dynamics and leading to ongoing instability.

Though IS has been weakened in Syria, the group continues to operate actively, primarily targeting Kurdish-led forces in the northeast.