By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

DAMASCUS/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – The U.S. military confirmed Wednesday that American airstrikes hit several Islamic State group camps in the Syrian desert, killing up to 35 fighters.

Monday’s airstrikes targeted multiple senior leaders in the early evening, announced the United States Central Command. U.S. sources said there were no known civilian casualties.

U.S. officials did not immediately reveal the identities of the targeted leaders of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

The U.S. military noted that while ISIS continues to pose a regional threat, it no longer holds the power it wielded a decade ago when the Islamist fighters seized large areas across Iraq and Syria while terrorizing the local population, including Christians and other minorities.

The U.S. Central Command said the military operation in Syria was to “hinder the ISIS group’s capacity to plan, organize, and execute attacks on civilians,” as well as the U.S. and allies.

These strikes came after the Pentagon warned in July that attacks in Syria and Iraq, claimed by ISIS, were expected to double, indicating a resurgence of “the terrorist group.”

ISIS affiliate groups have also become increasingly lethal in other parts of the world, such as Africa’s Sahel region, exploiting political instability and weak central governments, observers say.

HIGHWAY REOPENED

News about the U.S. strikes came as the main Damascus-Beirut highway reopened between Syria and neighboring Lebanon after being cordoned off by the Lebanese Army, following apparently Israeli strikes on two vehicles along the route, the Lebanese Civil Defense said.

At least one vehicle hit in Aaraya along the highway connecting Beirut to Syria reportedly carried weapons.

Officials condemned “the use of international roads and civilian vehicles for the movement of gunmen and the transfer of weapons and ammunition.” Israel has accused Hezbollah and others of using civilians as “human shields.”

Following the incident, the Lebanese Army announced plans to detonate unexploded ordnance in the Aaraya area of Mount Lebanon.

Along the same highway, another vehicle was struck in the town of Qmatieh in Aley province, though details about the target remain unclear.

Saad Al Ahmar, commander of the Lebanese Civil Defense’s southern district fire and rescue unit, said his team assisted in extinguishing fire at both strike locations.

He noted that the road has since reopened, although traffic remains heavy amid ongoing clashes between Israel and Iran’s proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

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