US officials say an American strike in Syria killed a man connected to an attack on troops

US forces conducted an operation that killed an al-Qaeda leader who, according to officials, had direct links to an Islamic State militant behind the ambush that claimed the lives of three Americans in Syria.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that Bilal Hassan al-Jasem was killed in a strike in northwestern Syria on Friday.

The statement said he was “directly linked” to the IS group gunman who killed and wounded American and Syrian personnel.

“The death of a terrorist linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve to pursue terrorists who attack our forces,” said CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper.

“There is no safe haven for those who attack, plot, or incite attacks against American citizens and our service members. We will find you.”

The US has been conducting a large-scale campaign of strikes against IS targets in Syria since the deaths of three Americans in Palmyra, central Syria, on December 13, 2025, in an operation dubbed Operation Hawkeye Strike.

According to CENTCOM, the US has so far struck more than 100 “infrastructure and weapons site targets” using 200 precision-guided munitions.

Earlier this month, CENTCOM said it had killed or captured approximately 25 IS group members in 11 missions between December 20 and December 29.

Syria has been in a precarious state since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, which ended the 13-year civil war in the country.

Ahmed al-Shara, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has been the country’s president since his rebel group ousted Assad and consolidated control.

IS remains weakened but active in Syria and in 2025 continued to launch attacks, mostly in the northeast, against Kurdish-led forces.