A U.S. military airstrike killed an al-Qaida leader who had “direct links” to an Islamic State terrorist responsible for an ambush in Syria that killed three Americans, officials said.
Bilal Hassan Jassim was killed in an attack in northwest Syria on Friday, U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement.
The statement said he had “direct ties” to the “Islamic State” group gunmen who killed and injured American and Syrian personnel.
The BBC has not independently verified the US claims.
“The death of one terrorist linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve to pursue the terrorists who attack our forces,” said Gen. Brad Cooper, commander of Central Command.
“There is no safe place for those who carry out, plan or incite attacks against American citizens and our warfighters. We will find you.”
Since the death of three Americans in Palmyra, central Syria, on December 13, 2025, the United States has been conducting large-scale strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, known as Operation Hawkeye.
So far, the United States has hit more than 100 “infrastructure and weapons site targets” using 200 precision munitions, according to Central Command.
Earlier this month, Central Command said it killed or captured nearly 25 Islamic State members in 11 missions between December 20 and 29.
Syria has been in a fragile state since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s regime in December 2024, effectively ending the 13-year civil war that had ravaged the country.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has been the country’s president since his rebel group overthrew Assad and consolidated control.
ISIS has been weakened in Syria but remains active, launching attacks mainly against Kurdish-led forces in the northeast in 2025.