ISIS exploiting Syria’s chaos as US strikes expose growing threat

U.S. and spouse forces killed oregon captured astir 25 Islamic State operatives successful Syria successful the days pursuing a large-scale U.S.-led onslaught connected Dec. 19, according to a caller connection from U.S. Central Command, underscoring Washington’s appraisal that ISIS remains an progressive and persistent menace wrong the country.

CENTCOM said those forces conducted 11 follow-on missions betwixt Dec. 20 and Dec. 29, sidesplitting astatine slightest 7 ISIS members, capturing the remainder, and eliminating 4 ISIS weapons caches. The operations followed Operation Hawkeye Strike, erstwhile U.S. and Jordanian forces deed much than 70 ISIS targets crossed cardinal Syria utilizing implicit 100 precision munitions, destroying infrastructure and weapons sites linked to the group. 

"We volition not relent," CENTCOM commandant Adm. Brad Cooper said, adding that U.S. forces stay "steadfast" successful moving with determination partners to dismantle ISIS networks that airs a menace to U.S. and determination security.

The scope of the follow-on raids highlights a world U.S. commanders and analysts person been informing astir for months: ISIS nary longer controls ample swaths of territory, but it retains the quality to organize, onslaught and regenerate wrong Syria’s fragmented information landscape.

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U.S. Army soldiers hole to spell retired connected patrol from a distant combat outpost connected May 25, 2021, successful northeastern Syria. U.S. forces, portion of Task Force WARCLUB run from combat outposts successful the area, coordinating with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) successful combatting residual ISIS extremists and deterring pro-Iranian militia. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Syria remains divided among competing forces, militias and foreign-backed equipped groups, with nary azygous authorization exercising afloat power implicit ample parts of the country. Analysts accidental that vacuum continues to supply abstraction for ISIS cells to run quietly, enlistee and exploit overstretched section forces.

Analysts enactment that Syria’s information situation remains shaped by erstwhile jihadist networks that were ne'er afloat demobilized aft the war. The country’s transitional leadership, including President Ahmed al-Sharaa, emerged from equipped Islamist factions that relied heavy connected overseas fighters and militias, according to determination information assessments. While those groups are not synonymous with ISIS, experts accidental the incomplete dismantling of extremist networks has near gaps that ISIS cells proceed to exploit.

"ISIS contiguous doesn’t request a caliphate to beryllium dangerous," said Bill Roggio, told Fox News Digital. "We’ve ever been speedy to state violent organizations defeated and insignificant, and that couldn’t beryllium further from the truth."

Roggio said the radical has adapted alternatively than disappeared, shifting distant from holding territory toward smaller, much covert cells susceptible of carrying retired lethal attacks. He pointed to ongoing ISIS enactment not lone successful Syria and Iraq, but besides successful Afghanistan and different regions, citing United Nations reporting that estimates astir 2,000 ISIS fighters stay progressive successful Afghanistan alone.

"That’s not what a defeated radical looks like," Roggio said, noting that ISIS continues to recruit, indoctrinate and animate attacks adjacent without the visibility it erstwhile had.

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ISIS terrorists successful Syria. (Reuters)

One of the astir delicate vulnerabilities remains the web of detention facilities successful northeastern Syria holding thousands of ISIS terrorists and supporters. Those prisons are guarded chiefly by Kurdish-led forces backed by a tiny U.S. subject presence, estimated astatine astir 1,000 troops, according to Reuters.

U.S. and conjugation officials person repeatedly warned that immoderate large disruption to situation information could let hardened ISIS operatives to flight and reconstitute networks crossed Syria and beyond. Kurdish officials person besides raised concerns astir backing shortages, manpower strain and unit from rival militias operating nearby.

While U.S. officials person not publically linked the caller strikes to prison-related threats, analysts accidental the broader situation of fragmented power increases the hazard of coordinated attacks, insider assistance oregon situation unrest.

The information is not theoretical. ISIS has antecedently staged wide situation interruption operations successful Syria and Iraq, including a 2022 battle connected the al-Sinaa situation successful Hasakah that required days of warring to contain.

The U.S. strikes besides travel amid continued instability wrong Syria, wherever aggregate equipped actors run with overlapping authority. Analysts enactment that clashes among militias, sectarian unit and unresolved bid structures person weakened wide information and diverted attraction from counterterrorism efforts.

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U.S. soldiers attached to the Iowa National Guard motion GBU-31 munitions systems successful the U.S. Central Command country of work Dec. 18, 2025 arsenic the U.S. subject launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets successful Syria successful retaliation for an onslaught connected U.S. personnel, U.S. officials said.  (Air Force Photo/Handout via Reuters)

Bombings successful neighborhoods of Damascus, including Mezzeh, and unrest successful number areas person further illustrated the gaps ISIS and different extremist groups tin exploit, according to determination information assessments and open-source reporting.

"Syria’s chaos is the accelerant," Roggio said. "ISIS thrives wherever nary 1 is afloat successful charge."

U.S. officials and analysts accent that ISIS enactment successful Syria is portion of a wider signifier alternatively than an isolated flare-up.

Sources successful the Israeli Mossad told Fox News Digital of continued ISIS-linked enactment crossed aggregate theaters, including recruitment networks and small-scale attacks designed to trial information responses and support operational relevance.

In Turkey, information forces precocious clashed with Islamic State militants during counterterrorism operations, wounding respective officers, according to Reuters connected Monday. Turkish authorities said the raids targeted ISIS cells suspected of readying attacks wrong the country.

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Security forces loyal to the interim Syrian authorities thrust successful the backmost of a conveyance moving on a roadworthy successful Syria's occidental metropolis of Latakia connected March 9, 2025. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa called for nationalist unity and bid connected March 9, amid increasing planetary backlash pursuing the sidesplitting of civilians on the country's seashore successful the worst unit since the overthrow of erstwhile president Bashar al-Assad. (Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty Images)

"These are signals, not spikes," Roggio said. "ISIS operates crossed regions, adapting to unit and exploiting anemic governance wherever it finds it."

The renewed U.S. subject enactment raises hard questions for policymakers astir however agelong the existent containment strategy tin hold.

While U.S. officials accidental the Dec. 19 strikes delivered a important stroke to ISIS infrastructure, they person besides acknowledged that counterterrorism operations unsocial cannot destruct the underlying conditions that let the radical to persist.

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People question guns successful the aerial arsenic they stitchery to observe the autumn of the Syrian authorities successful Umayyad Square connected Dec. 8 successful Damascus, Syria.  (Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)

"Just due to the fact that we privation to state the warfare against panic implicit doesn’t mean it’s over," Roggio said. "The force gets a vote."