U.S. military personnel carried out a raid in Aleppo, Syria, overnight that resulted in the deaths of a “senior ISIS leader” and his two sons who had affiliations with the Islamic State, according to U.S. Central Command.

The leader targeted and killed in the raid was Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al Hardani, and his two sons were Abdallah Dhiya al Hardani and Abd al Rahman Dhiya Zawba al Hardani. A CENTCOM statement said they were with three women and three children who were not harmed in the mission.

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“We will continue to relentlessly pursue ISIS terrorists wherever they are. ISIS terrorists are not safe where they sleep, where they operate, and where they hide,” CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said. “Alongside our partners and allies, U.S. Central Command is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS terrorists that threaten the region, our allies, and our homeland.”

The raid is notable because it put U.S. troops in harm’s way to carry out the mission, compared to drone strikes, which forces in the region also rely on because they pose little risk to the service members who launch them.

The U.S. military has had a footprint in Iraq and Syria for about a decade to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS and has worked with its partners in the Iraqi Army, the Peshmerga security forces representing the Kurds, and the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Brig. Gen. Kevin Lambert took over command of the anti-ISIS coalition, known as Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, earlier this week. 

His predecessor, outgoing commander Maj. Gen. Kevin Leahy, oversaw the coalition during a turbulent time as the region reacted to the fall of the Assad regime in Syria in December 2024. Lambert will be picking up the mantle as questions continue to swirl surrounding the actions of the nascent Syrian interim government as the U.S. military also reevaluates its global footprint.

“I am honored and humbled to serve during this historic time of significant change in the region,” Lambert said in a statement. “I look forward to strengthening our partnerships as we maintain pressure on defeating Daesh [another name for ISIS] in Iraq and Syria,” he added.

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The United States, under the Trump administration, has sought to reduce its footprint in the region. In Syria, the military has withdrawn from multiple posts and consolidated into fewer bases, while conversations continue regarding a smaller footprint in Iraq.

It’s unclear how recent clashes in Suwayda Governorate between pro-government forces and Syria’s Druze minority could affect the U.S. troop presence in the country. The U.S. had eight bases in Syria and intends to get it down to one eventually, Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack said in early June, though the military has not specified which base it wants to keep long-term.