Story highlights U.S. forces targeted "Jihadi John" in an airstrike in Raqqa, Syria, the Pentagon announced Thursday night

It was not immediately clear whether the strike was successful

Washington (CNN) U.S. forces targeted "Jihadi John," the man who has emerged as the masked face of ISIS, in an airstrike in Raqqa, Syria, the Pentagon announced Thursday night.

"Jihadi John," whom Western officials have identified as Mohammed Emwazi, has appeared in a series of brutal execution videos, taunting Western leaders in a British accent.

It was not immediately clear whether the strike was successful. But a senior U.S. official said authorities are confident that the strike killed Emwazi, adding that the U.S. announced the strike because of Emwazi's notoriety.

This was a mission of "persistent surveillance," the official said, adding that authorities knew it was Emwazi when they took the shot.

Another U.S. official told CNN that Emwazi was in a vehicle at the time of the strike, which was launched from a drone.