CENTCOM’s new plan to eliminate Daesh weapons-storage sites in southern Syria echoes the scenarios Washington has repeatedly used in recent years to legitimize its military presence in the region. The claim that the U.S. identified more than 15 sites and destroyed 130 mortars, rockets, anti-tank mines and even narcotics may look like a counterterrorism operation, but its political content is obvious: the United States still sees Daesh as a tool for masking failures and diverting public attention. This comes even as recent admissions by some American officials about Washington’s close links with al-Qaeda and Daesh have fundamentally undermined the credibility of such narratives. At a moment of complex regional developments, CENTCOM has avoided presenting field evidence, falling back instead on assertions that independent institutions have repeatedly challenged.

Hegseth Scandal: Hidden Motive Behind a Manufactured Security Victory

The timing of CENTCOM’s claims coincides conspicuously with The Washington Post’s exposé about the verbal and “lethal” order issued by Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Secretary of Defense. According to reports, during the first U.S. operation against a ship in the Caribbean, Hegseth ordered the killing of every person on board without offering any justification—an act that triggered a sharp backlash in Congress and a formal call for his removal. Under these circumstances, showcasing a “security victory” in Syria may be a calculated move by Trump to create political cover, ease media pressure, and shield Hegseth from accountability.

Moreover, publicizing security operations in Syria helps reinforce U.S. justifications for expanding its military activities in the Caribbean and stepping up pressure on Venezuela—moves that are steadily advancing under the banners of counterterrorism and counternarcotics.

Masking Israel’s Failures Under the Shadow of Daesh

CENTCOM’s new allegations emerged precisely as the Israeli regime faces a series of military and political failures. The botched operation by Israeli forces in the town of Beit Jinn, the local resistance, and the humiliating retreat of its troops dealt a serious blow to Tel Aviv’s narrative of “intelligence and operational superiority.” The setback was so severe that the regime escalated its attacks and killings in Gaza in an attempt to divert attention.

At the same time, a global wave of protests on the International Day of Solidarity with Palestine and a joint call by seven international organizations for the International Criminal Court to enforce arrest warrants for Israeli leaders have pushed the regime into unprecedented international isolation. In this environment, by amplifying its role in the fight against Daesh, Washington is effectively trying to lighten the burden of Israel’s loss of legitimacy and obscure its battlefield defeats behind the narrative of a “terrorist threat.”

Trump’s Gaza Plan Collapses, and the Push to Escape Accountability

Trump’s 20-point ceasefire proposal and the Sharm el-Sheikh summit were supposed to cast the U.S. president in a savior’s role. But no real ceasefire took hold, and neither land nor air deliveries of humanitarian aid to Gaza materialized. The death toll—now surpassing 70,000—along with international warnings about hunger and cold, has rendered Trump’s promotional narrative meaningless.

The failure to deploy an international force under the U.N. Security Council’s November 17 resolution, and the decision by many countries to withdraw from participating in the proposed “stabilization force,” has effectively buried the plan. Even the peace delegation Trump promised has yet to be announced.

In this context, spotlighting security claims in Syria and repeating accusations against Iran form part of Trump’s strategy to silence questions about the complete collapse of his Gaza initiative.