Hegseth announces effort to ‘eliminate’ Islamic State fighters in Syria after deaths of Americans
Dec 19, 2025, 2:31 PM | Updated: 7:52 pm
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth salutes during a casualty return for Iowa National Guard soldiers Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa, and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat, who were killed in Syria, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the start of an effort to “eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites” in Syria following the deaths of three U.S. citizens.
“This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trump’s leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people,” he said Friday on social media.
