Fighting has intensified in the northeast of Syria between government forces and Kurdish militia. On Friday, Syrian military jets pounded US-backed Kurdish forces in the city of Hasaka for a second day. That was despite the US sending aircraft there to protect American special ground forces. The fighting this week in the city has been the most violent confrontation between the Kurdish militia and government forces in more than five years of civil war.

Also on Friday, Russian warships in the Mediterranean Sea fired cruise missiles at targets near Aleppo, a further sign of Moscow's broadening military effort in Syria.