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Topic: Terrorism Blog Brand: The Buzz Region: Middle East Tags: Ahmed Al-Shara, Iowa, Jihadism, Syria, and United States America Is Paying the Price for Backing Jihadists in Syria January 3, 2026 By: Brandon J. Weichert
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During “Operation Hawkeye Strike,” the United States bombed jihadist targets across Syria—but what use were the strikes when their targets’ ideological brethren now run the government?
After an ISIS gunman initiated an attack against US forces operating in Palmyra, Syria, on December 13, resulting in the deaths of two National Guard soldiers and their civilian interpreter, the Trump administration initiated a massive retaliation.
Dubbed “Operation Hawkeye Strike,” the Trump administration presided over an attack that struck more than 70 Islamic State targets across Syria on December 19.
The reason the American attacks were dubbed “Hawkeye Strike” was because the two soldiers who were killed by the ISIS gunman were from the Iowa National Guard.
America’s War in Syria Is Quietly Moving Forward
During the strikes, US warplanes targeted more than 70 suspected ISIS weapons depots, command centers, and training facilities across the Homs, Raqaa, and Deir ez-Zor provinces of Syria. According to multiple reports, US forces deployed more than 100 precision-guided munitions, launched from F-15s, A-10 Warthogs, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, and HIMARS rocket systems.
At least five suspected ISIS members were killed in the first wave of the airstrikes. Another round of attacks took place on December 29, and it has been reported that American and allied forces killed or captured around 25 ISIS members in the second round. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, with typical rhetorical flourish, described the American action as a “declaration of vengeance.”
This was a puzzling series of events to many people, though. After all, why are US forces—let alone the Iowa National Guard—operating in Syria in the first place?
Most were under the impression that, since last December, the new Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Shara (formerly Abu Mohammad al-Jolani), these sorts of attacks against US personnel would stop.
“Operation Hawkeye Strike” Was Vengeance Without Strategy
After all, President Donald Trump himself just a month ago embraced Shara in the White House, describing him as “handsome.” The United States, Turkey, and Israel all supported his rise to varying extents, reasoning that he was a better alternative to Bashar al-Assad.
Of course, the three governments could have no illusions about Shara’s true character. Prior to his abrupt heel-face turn in December 2024, the new Syrian leader was the head of the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate branch. Eventually, tiring of the bad publicity that association with al-Qaeda brought, Shara abandoned al-Nusra and created a new jihadist group known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
HTS was a predominantly Turkish-backed Sunni Islamist extremist group that incorporated fighters from Al Nusra along with other Islamist groups in Syria, such as ISIS. The idea was that it would replace Assad with a pan-Islamist government representative of the majority of Syrians.
And the Americans offered some backing to this movement, too, believing it would ratchet down threats to US forces still operating in Syria. This is in part why Trump has been so accommodating toward Shara’s new government.
Ahmed al-Shara Is Still Who He Always Was
Now, we see what all that glad-handing with jihadists has gotten the US government. Two American servicemen, who should have never been in Syria to begin with, are dead.
Last year, the United States allowed Islamists to seize power in Syria under the pretense that these Islamists would get all the other Islamists in Syria to stop targeting Americans.
That has not been the case. On the contrary, Syria continues to decline into madness. On top of the two US soldiers, the Islamists of Syria have killed thousands of others during a genocidal campaign across the country. HTS-affiliated militants have engaged in ethnic cleansing of the Alawite, Christian, and Druze communities. They have also threatened Syria’s Kurdish population.
The logic behind embracing an Islamist like Shara was that these sorts of attacks would stop. Instead, they’ve escalated. And now the Islamists have been given an air of legitimacy, thanks to the embrace of the White House.
The recent Operation Hawkeye Strike, far from being a moment of pride, should be a reminder of how badly failed US foreign policy toward Syria has been—and how it continues to be a nightmare for America.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest. Recently, Weichert became the host of The National Security Hour on America Outloud News and iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. Weichert hosts a companion book talk series on Rumble entitled “National Security Talk.” He is also a contributor at Popular Mechanics and has consulted regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including The Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, and the Asia Times. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / FotoField.
The post America Is Paying the Price for Backing Jihadists in Syria appeared first on The National Interest.
Источник: nationalinterest.org