On Saturday, we learned that the United States had again hit suspected ISIS forces in Syria in an aerial attack. This is the second such strike in as many months.
The U.S. military has launched airstrikes against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News.
The operation marks the second time the U.S. military has struck Islamic State targets in Syria since Dec. 19, following the killing of two Iowa National Guard soldiers and their American interpreter by a lone ISIS gunman.
There have not been any news reports of any American service members injured or killed in Syria since the December 19th, 2025, attack. This second strike is presumably a follow-up.
Meanwhile, talks between the United States and Syria are taking place:
The strikes come as U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said he met in Damascus with Syria’s new leadership to discuss the country’s future. "Today, on behalf of President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, I met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, and members of their team in Damascus," Barrack wrote.
Today, on behalf of President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, I met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, and members of their team in Damascus to discuss recent developments in Aleppo and the broader path forward for… pic.twitter.com/hz2rMMxuqK
— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) January 10, 2026
The Ambassador's X post is lengthy, but this passage stands out:
President Trump recognizes this moment as a pivotal opportunity for a new Syria — a unified nation in which all communities, including Arab, Kurdish, Druze, Christian, Alawite, Turkmen, Assyrian, and others, are treated with respect and dignity and afforded meaningful participation in governance and security institutions. In recognition of this opportunity, he agreed to lift sanctions in order to “give Syria a chance” to move forward.
A unified nation, with what would appear to be some freedom of conscience; that would be something new in Syria and, for that matter, the Middle East as a whole. Majority-Muslim nations have a bad reputation for being the opposite of inclusive. A certain amount of skepticism is in order here.
Read More: Syrian Attacker Was Recent Recruit, Suspected of ISIS Ties
Update: 'Declaration of Vengeance': U.S. Bombing Strikes Start Against ISIS in Syria; POTUS Reacts
While knocking out some ISIS goblins, and thereby proving the old maxim that any problem can be solved by a suitable application of high explosives, is always worth doing, we should remember that, new regime or not, this is a very, very unstable part of the world. Of course, the United States has the advantage in this situation of uncontested air superiority and precision stand-off weapons; the new Syrian government has no such luxury and would seem to be balanced on a knife's edge. Supplying Syria with modern weapons doesn't seem like the best idea, either. They may make noises like an American ally, or at least not an enemy, now - but we should remember the lesson of supporting the Afghan mujahadeen during the Soviet invasion, and how well that worked out.
Today's friend is all too often tomorrow's enemy in that part of the world.
Still, some ISIS fighters have now been removed from the board. There's nothing bad about that.
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