A message on a shell from a U.S. soldier to ISIS in Syria: what did he write?
Fire alone was not enough for him to avenge the deaths of his compatriots in Syria’s Palmyra. He also wrote a message on a bomb, signing it with their names.
The U.S. Department of Defense released a photo showing an American soldier writing a message on a shell shortly before it was launched at ISIS targets in Syria.
The soldier wrote on the munition the names of three Americans — two soldiers and one civilian — who were killed in an attack that took place a few days ago in Palmyra, in central Syria.
He ended his message with the words: “May your legacy live on in memory.”
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered a “very powerful retaliatory strike” against ISIS in Syria, following an attack about a week earlier that resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers.
Shortly after the U.S. Department of Defense announced the launch of a large-scale military operation, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “We are delivering very powerful strikes against ISIS strongholds in Syria.”
“A declaration of revenge”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on X: “U.S. forces have launched the ‘Hawk Eye Strike’ operation in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons storage sites.”
Hegseth described the operation as a “direct response” and a “declaration of revenge” following the attack that killed three Americans — two soldiers and an interpreter — in Syria on Saturday, adding: “Today, we hunted down our enemies and killed them. Many of them. And we will continue.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that “more than 70 targets were struck across central Syria using fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery.”
According to the statement, the operation began at 4:00 p.m. Washington time on Friday (9:00 p.m. GMT), and “more than 100 precision-guided munitions” were used against positions controlled by ISIS.
On Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that overnight U.S. strikes killed at least five members of the terrorist organization.
Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Observatory, told Agence France-Presse that those killed included “the leader of a cell responsible for drones” in Deir ez-Zor, in eastern Syria.
