Roundup: Syrian jets renew striking Kurdish-dominated areas in Hasakah

Syrian warplanes on Friday struck areas under control of Kurdish militants in the country's northeastern city of Hasakah for the second straight day, a monitor group said.

The Syrian airstrikes targeted positions of Kurdish militant groups in the northern and northwestern part of the city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The UK-based watchdog group said the airstrikes were coupled with clashes between Syrian forces and Kurdish militants.

It added that at least 25 people, including 10 children, were killed during the two-day escalation in Hasakah.

Meanwhile, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said the Syrian warplanes struck Kurdish positions in the al-Nashwa district in Hasakah for the second day.

It denied reports that the Kurds have advanced against government-controlled parts of the same district.

Citing a military source, the report said the Kurdish militants attacked all Syrian military positions in Hasakah on Thursday, following the first airstrikes by the Syrian warplanes.

On Thursday, reports said the Syrian airstrikes were the first to hit Kurdish positions in Hasakah since the beginning of the crisis.

The strikes apparently came in response to the perceived Kurdish aspiration to carve out their own state in northern Syria.

Previous tension occurred between the Syrian forces and the Kurds, but both parties contained the situation to avoid further confrontations.

The Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) issued a statement Thursday, confirming the airstrikes and promising retaliation against the government forces.

The YPG said the Syrian warplanes "violently" shelled areas in the province of Hasakah on Thursday, as well as positions of the Kurdish security forces, known as Assayish, in that area, causing a state of "panic" among the people there.

It said the airstrikes were coupled by shelling from heavy artillery and mortar shells, leaving tens of civilians either dead or wounded.

The shelling and airstrikes also pushed some people to flee the city, the statement of the YPG added.

It admitted that previous confrontations and shelling between the Assayish and the Syrian forces had taken place in the past, but the Syrian air force didn't carry as many airstrikes as it did on Thursday.

The YPG claimed that the Syrian airstrikes came to undermine the "sweeping victories" scored by the YPG and its militia called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the Islamic State (IS) group.

It continued to charge that the Syrian regime "sees the defeat of the IS as a defeat for itself because they (regime forces) are still counting on the IS to achieve what is left of their dirty scheme."

"This step by the regime is like committing suicide," the statement added.

"We will not stand silent about this brutal and flagrant attacks that target our people, who we will stand firmly to protect. Whoever has his hands smeared with our people's blood will be held accountable by all available means," the statement concluded.

The statement is the latest escalation of the Kurdish militant group, which has controlled much of al-Hasakah province over the past five years.

The SDF, has also achieved several victories against the IS with the help of the U.S.-led airstrikes in the northern province of Aleppo, the latest of which was driving the terror group out of its last major stronghold in the town of Manbej near Turkey.

The YPG and other Kurdish militant groups have been assuming positions in Hasakah since 2012.

At the time, reports emerged about a tacit agreement between the Kurds and the Syrian government.

Even though many Kurdish figures denied it, but it's widely believed that the Kurds are planning to carve out a piece in northern Syria with heavy Kurdish weight as their autonomous state. Endite