WASHINGTON — U.S. Central Command carried out a precision airstrike in Syria last week that killed a senior Islamic State leader, CENTCOM announced, as the jihadist group continues intermittent attacks six years after its territorial defeat and Syria’s new government navigates competing pressures from Washington and its neighbors.
“The precision strike killed Ali Husayn al-Ulaywi and is part of ongoing U.S. efforts to disrupt and eliminate terrorists seeking to attack Americans abroad or the U.S. homeland. CENTCOM forces continue to work alongside regional partners,” CENTCOM stated. The strike was carried out June 19, with the announcement posted to social media five days later.
CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper framed the operation as part of a sustained campaign. “CENTCOM and our partners remain committed to rooting out remaining remnants of ISIS [the Islamic State] to ensure its enduring defeat,” Cooper said. The Islamic State was largely defeated in Syria in 2019 by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, but the group claimed responsibility for an attack near Aleppo that killed two Syrian soldiers just two days after the U.S. strike. Syrian security forces separately arrested Akram Saleh al Hamad, whom the Interior Ministry accused of involvement in manufacturing explosive devices.
The strike lands amid a broader diplomatic tangle over Syria’s role in the region. President Donald Trump suggested on the sidelines of the G7 meetings in France on June 17 that Syria could intervene in neighboring Lebanon to fight Hezbollah. Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa, who has cultivated close ties with the Trump administration, publicly rejected the idea in an interview with Lebanon’s Al Mashhad TV. The Syrian Arab News Agency reported that “the President emphasized that Syria has presented a different approach to resolving the situation, explaining that discussions with the United States focused on ending the war, addressing its negative repercussions on both Lebanon and Syria, and pursuing economic, political and social solutions capable of supporting long-term stability.”
Trump’s remarks also prompted a security response in Jerusalem. Israel’s Ynet reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would hold a closed security meeting on Syria and Lebanon, noting that Israel opposes Syria deploying forces in Lebanon. Under the former regime of Bashar al Assad, Syrian forces occupied parts of Lebanon from 1976 to 2005, and Syria served as a conduit for Iranian weapons transfers to Hezbollah. Since Assad’s fall in December 2024, the new Syrian government has taken steps to prevent smuggling to Hezbollah.
Syria’s new leadership is simultaneously pursuing diplomatic outreach. Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Minister Asaad Hassan al Shibani met with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on June 25. “The two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, continue joint diplomatic efforts, follow up on the outcomes of the economic forum, and enhance cooperation across a range of sectors,” SANA reported. The meeting signals Damascus’s pivot toward Gulf economic partnerships as it works to stabilize and reconstruct the country while U.S. forces continue counterterrorism operations on its soil.