Iran, also under pressure at home, has held back from its own strikes on Israeli or American sites in retaliation for the assassination of its senior Revolutionary Guard commanders, which it blames on Israel. Earlier this month, in its first direct reply, it focused its fire on what was regarded as a "soft target" when it hit what it called a base of Israel's Mossad agency in Iraqi Kurdistan.

US and coalition troops are also stationed in the Red Sea after the Iran-backed Houthis began attacking commercial ships in the region. The Yemen-based group says it is targeting vessels in the region in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is fighting Hamas.

The Pentagon has offered unspecified condolence payments to the family of 10 civilians who were killed in a botched US drone attack in Afghanistan in August during the final days before American troops withdrew from the country. The US Department of Defense said it made a commitment that included offering "ex-gratia condolence payments", in addition to working with the US Department of State in support of the family members who were interested in relocation to the United States. Colin Kahl, the US under-secretary of defense for policy, held a virtual meeting on Thursday with Steven Kwon, the founder and president of Nutrition & Education International, the aid organisation that employed Zemari Ahmadi, who was killed in the August 29 drone attack, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said late on Friday. Ahmadi and others who were killed in the drone raid were innocent victims who bore no blame and were not affiliated with Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K) or threats to US forces, Kirby said. The drone raid in Kabul killed as many as 10 civilians, including seven children.