US launches ‘large-scale’ airstrikes in Syria after ISIS gunman killed 3 Americans

Trump told reporters over the weekend that he was mourning the deaths and vowed retaliation

The United States military has launched extensive airstrikes against Islamic State targets across central Syria, officials confirmed on Friday, in direct retaliation for a recent attack on American personnel.

The strikes follow a pledge by President Donald Trump to respond forcefully after an incident last weekend, which saw a suspected Islamic State member target a U.S. convoy.

An anonymous US official characterized the current military action as a large-scale response.

That attack, which occurred on Saturday in the central Syrian town of Palmyra, resulted in the deaths of two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter.

Trump vows to retaliate after ISIS gunman kills three Americans in Syria (Getty Images)

Three additional U.S. soldiers sustained injuries before the assailant was shot dead, according to the US military.

These latest actions are part of an ongoing campaign by a US-led coalition, which has been conducting both aerial and ground operations against suspected Islamic State militants in Syria, often in conjunction with local security forces.