The Pentagon says it has carried out multiple airstrikes inside Syria. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the overnight attacks were in response to a drone attack by Iran-backed fighters that killed a U.S. contractor and wounded five U.S. troops. The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the U.S. airstrikes killed 11 Iranian-backed fighters in three locations, though those reports could not be confirmed. Congress has not formally authorized U.S. military action in Syria, though last year a majority of both Republicans and Democrats in the House voted down a resolution to withdraw all remaining U.S. troops from Syria.

The U.S. strikes came after Israeli warplanes bombed the international airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Wednesday, damaging equipment and bringing flights to a halt. It was Israel’s second attack on Aleppo’s main airport this month.

In other news from Syria, reports emerged Thursday that Saudi Arabia and Syria are nearing a deal in Russian-brokered talks to restore diplomatic ties that were cut off in 2012 as Saudi Arabia backed Syrian rebel fighters in the country’s brutal civil war.