The U.S. is striking targets across Syria, and it’s not the only country dropping bombs in this uncertain moment

• U.S. warplanes launched airstrikes in Syria as Assad’s regime collapsed on Sunday.

• They have struck dozens of targets in support of the counter-Islamic State mission, which officials say will continue.

• The United States is not the only military to launch attacks amid uncertainty in Syria.

The U.S. military has launched massive airstrikes in Syria since the fall of Assad’s regime over the weekend, and it’s not the only country looking for targets in this uncertain moment.

Over the past few days, U.S., Israeli and Turkish militaries have all been involved in bombing targets across Syria, actions they say are in support of their respective national security interests.

For the United States, that means continuing to hunt ISIS, as it has done for years, but stepping up efforts to stop the group. The Biden administration says the mission will continue despite uncertainty about the future of Syria’s leadership.

The United States has repeatedly expressed its commitment to a lasting defeat of ISIS. “We don’t want to give ISIS the opportunity to take advantage of what’s going on,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday, adding, “What they like best is an unregulated space.”

Extensive military operations in Syria

U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers, F-15 fighter jets and A-10 attack aircraft bombed ISIS targets in central Syria as rebels arrived in Damascus on Sunday and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled the country. U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, said the massive attack hit the terror group’s leaders, operatives and camps.

A senior administration official told reporters that the combat operation was “significant” and said U.S. warplanes dropped about 140 munitions and hit 75 targets. The U.S. military said the attack was aimed at preventing the Islamic State from reestablishing itself in central Syria.

Jonathan Lord, a former Pentagon political and military analyst, told Business Insider that the U.S. military is “concerned that ISIS might slip away in the chaos” and is striking as many targets as possible.

Retired Gen. Joseph Votel, who served as commander of Central Command in the 2010s, overseeing U.S. military operations in the Middle East, told BI the U.S. is sending a clear message and taking action to stop ISIS from exploiting the void in central Syria. , this is a “good thing”.

He added that it was important for the United States to maintain a small presence in eastern Syria, calling it a “very effective and efficient way to keep an eye on this threat.”

The massive bombings since Sunday are not limited to U.S. operations, however. Israel has launched more than 300 air strikes in neighboring Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor.

SOHR said Israel was targeting remnants of Assad’s former military forces, including aircraft, ammunition depots, weapons storage facilities, warships, radar systems and other assets. Israeli officials said the attacks were aimed at preventing weapons from falling into the hands of potential enemies.

“Israel will not take risks on security issues, nor will it wait to see whether the new Syrian government is friendly or hostile,” said Lord, now director of the Middle East Security Project at the Center for a New American Security think tank.

The Israeli military has also sent ground troops across the Syrian border and across the U.N.-monitored buffer zone that separates the two countries. The United Nations criticized the move, which Israel said was a measure to protect its citizens amid uncertainty in Damascus.

Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence official, told BI that the actions were a “joint effort to minimize the risk of the growing military challenge posed by the current situation in Syria.”

He said Israel’s approach could include supplementing airstrikes and buffer zone operations with diplomatic efforts.

Meanwhile, a Turkish drone struck a military base in an area controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Syrian human rights groups said on Tuesday. Ankara considers the nearby SDF a terrorist organization and has targeted Kurdish forces for years. The United States often works closely with the SDF in operations against the Islamic State.

White House spokesman Kirby said in response to a reporter’s question about actions against Kurdish groups that “Turks face a legitimate counterterrorism threat and they have the right to respond to that threat.”

The Syrian government forces launched a stunning offensive in just a few days to topple the Assad regime, leading to the collapse of the Syrian army and the subsequent widespread military operation. The longtime dictator has relied extensively on military support from Russia, Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah to contain opposition forces.

U.S. officials blame the collapse of Assad’s regime on the reality that all three players have recently been weakened and distracted by their respective conflicts with Ukraine and Israel. Russia, in particular, has exerted significant control over Syrian airspace in the past, but the future of Moscow’s military footprint in the country is currently unclear.

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