Syrian Kurdish forces made fresh advances Wednesday near the flashpoint town of Kobane, bringing the number of villages they have recaptured from the Islamic State group to 50, a monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), backed by rebel fighters, "are continuing to advance in the countryside of Kobane, facing no resistance from the IS".

King Abdullah II vowed Jordan will take tough action after hanging two convicted militants Wednesday in response to the burning alive of one of its pilots by the Islamic State group.

The gruesome murder of airman Maaz al-Kassasbeh triggered international condemnation and prompted Jordan to execute two Iraqis on death row -- female would-be suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi and al-Qaida operative Ziad al-Karboli.

By burning a Jordanian pilot alive in its most savage execution video yet, the Islamic State (IS) group aims to terrify its Arab and Western opponents into ending their anti-jihadist war.

Already infamous for beheading and stoning to death its victims, IS is trying to "up the ante" with the latest execution, experts said.

The Turkish parliament on Wednesday postponed until next week a debate on a controversial security bill bolstering police powers that critics claim could harshly restrict freedom in the country.

The so-called "homeland security reform" bill was submitted to parliament by the ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) following deadly pro-Kurdish protests in October.

The Islamic State group's gruesome murder of a captured Jordanian pilot is the consequence of Amman's support for Syrian rebels, Syrian media said on Wednesday.

The commentary in newspapers close to the government echoed longstanding claims by President Bashar al-Assad's regime that Jordan is backing "terrorists" by supporting rebels.

The United Arab Emirates pulled out of the air campaign fighting Islamic State militants after the capture of a Jordanian pilot who has since been killed by the extremists, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

The pilot was captured in December and Islamic State militants released a video Tuesday showing the man in a cage being burned alive.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam rejected claims that the Sunni community in Lebanon had created a climate that embraces terrorism and said that the right of veto exercised by cabinet ministers required a new approach.

“All the requirements for a security confrontation are now available and all the needs for a patriotic confrontation such as thwarting any attempt to saw strife have also been guaranteed,” Salam told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in an interview.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat expressed distress over the ongoing presidential stalemate as the Lebanese no longer sense the vacuum at the state's higher post due to the rift between the rival Christians.

He pointed out in an interview with al-Akhbar newspaper published on Wednesday that the Lebanese are more concerned with the daily crises.

The Lebanese army and militants clashed on the outskirts of the northeastern village of Ras Baalbek overnight as troops targeted fighters in the areas surrounding the town of Arsal, the state-run National News Agency reported on Tuesday.

NNA reported shooting incidents and skirmishes between armed groups and the military's bases in the area of Tallet al-Hamra that lies in Ras Baalbek's outskirts.

The United Nations food agency expressed alarm over images circulating on social media showing its food aid being distributed from boxes bearing the logo of the Islamic State group.

The World Food Program said it was "extremely concerned" over the images, and that it was trying to verify the authenticity of the photographs and determine where they were taken.