The U.S. military said it carried out multiple airstrikes across Syria early on Saturday (10 January) as part of an operation that began last month, after it said Islamic State militants killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter in an attack on 13 December.
In a statement, U.S. Central Command said the latest strikes targeted Islamic State positions throughout Syria.
The Pentagon declined to provide further details, and it remains unclear whether there were any casualties. About 1,000 U.S. troops remain deployed in the country, the military said.
The developments come as U.S. President Donald Trump has been presented with several potential options for strikes on Iran, U.S. media reported.
The New York Times said Trump had been briefed on scenarios including possible attacks on sites in Tehran that are not part of Iran’s military infrastructure. Officials cited by the paper said no final decision had been taken, but that Trump was seriously considering authorising military action.
A senior U.S. military official said commanders would require time to reinforce American positions in the region and prepare for possible Iranian retaliation.
The Wall Street Journal reported that preliminary discussions within the administration had also included the possibility of large-scale strikes on Iranian military facilities, although officials said no unified plan had yet been agreed and no deployments had been ordered.
Iran is facing its largest anti-government demonstrations in years amid economic collapse and political discontent.
Tehran fought a 12-day war with Israel last year, and its nuclear facilities were bombed by the U.S. in June.
Separately, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, according to U.S. officials who said the call focused on the war in Gaza, unrest in Iran and developments in Syria, declining to provide further details.
Syria’s government, led by former rebels who toppled Bashar al-Assad in 2024 after 13 years of civil war, has been cooperating with a U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State. President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House late last year, when Damascus reached a new security agreement with Washington.
Meanwhile, Israel and Syria agreed earlier this week during U.S.-mediated talks in Paris to establish a communication mechanism on security and commercial issues. Washington has proposed a demilitarised economic zone along parts of the Israel–Syria border.
Since Trump returned to office in January 2025, Netanyahu has visited the United States five times, while Trump travelled to Israel in October.
Kazakhstan will begin routing selected government expenditures worth more than 100 million tenge ($190,000) through its digital tenge platform, expand...
Donald Trump has said the U.S. will resume bombing Iran if Tehran doesn't "behave," at the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. Earlier, the U.S. ...
The UK has secured more than £1.3 billion in new international investment for battery storage, energy infrastructure and technology projects, with ma...
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that a preliminary agreement with Iran remains fragile, saying Washington could resume military action if Tehra...
China has sanctioned Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and his immediate family, banning them from entering mainland China, Hong Kong ...
Iran says it is prepared for all scenarios as Tehran and Washington seek to avoid renewed tensions ahead of the planned signing of a memorandum of understanding on a peace deal in Switzerland on Friday.
Pakistan's heavy reliance on imported energy was laid bare by the U.S.-Iran conflict, which disrupted regional supplies, drove up costs and exposed vulnerabilities in the country's energy security. However, a proposed peace agreement now offers hope for economic relief.
Iran has said that reaching an agreement with the U.S. to end the war does not mean Tehran will overlook what it describes as war crimes committed against Iranians by Israel and the United States.
Pakistan's political leadership on Monday welcomed a breakthrough agreement between the U.S. and Iran aimed at ending more than three months of conflict, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif describing it as a major diplomatic success and a victory for peace.
Donald Trump has said the U.S. will resume bombing Iran if Tehran doesn't "behave," at the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. Earlier, the U.S. President criticised Israel for its tactics against Hezbollah, saying it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment buildings to tackle militants.
A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island early Tuesday, killing at least one person and injuring four, according to emergency authorities.
U.S. President Donald Trump said a preliminary agreement to end the war in the Gulf has been signed by the U.S. and Iran, though details have yet to be made public and both countries said a permanent truce is yet to be negotiated.
Australia's weather bureau warned on Tuesday that an El Niño weather pattern has formed in the tropical Pacific and could intensify in the second half of 2026, becoming one of the strongest events recorded in seven decades.
Ukraine has said it struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Moscow region, marking one of the deepest reported attacks into Russian territory in recent months.
The UK has secured more than £1.3 billion in new international investment for battery storage, energy infrastructure and technology projects, with major commitments from companies based in France and India.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that a preliminary agreement with Iran remains fragile, saying Washington could resume military action if Tehran fails to meet its commitments.
China has sanctioned Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and his immediate family, banning them from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao. Beijing says the move responds to repeated remarks by Teodoro that it claims have undermined China's sovereignty and bilateral relations.
A British Iranian man has been charged in connection with an arson attack on a memorial wall in north London, an area with a large Jewish population, police have said.
Russia’s fuel market is coming under increasing strain as Ukrainian drone strikes disrupt output at major oil refineries, forcing Moscow to rely more heavily on imports from Belarus, according to sources reported by Reuters.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment