Thousands of Syrian Kurds who fled the Islamic State jihadists' assault on the town of Kobane have moved from Turkey to Iraq or back to safer parts of their homeland, the U.N. said Friday.

"We are seeing growing numbers choosing to continue their journey, either by heading to the Kurdistan region of Iraq or else crossing back into Syria several hundred kilometers to the east," said Adrian Edwards, spokesman for the U.N. high commissioner for refugees.

Syrian regime bombardment and air strikes killed at least 21 civilians, eight of them children, in the south and northeast of the country Friday, a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said 19 people, including five children, were killed by air strikes and surface-to-surface missiles on the Hara area in southern Daraa province.

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji has accused the Islamic State group of seeking to ignite civil war in Lebanon and of relying on sleeper cells in the northern district of Akkar and the port city of Tripoli.

In an interview with the French daily Le Figaro, Qahwaji said the terrorists were counting on the cells in northern Lebanon and on the backing of some Sunni figures to achieve their objectives.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday vowed to press on with efforts to make peace with Turkey's Kurds despite deadly pro-Kurdish protests, saying he would work for an agreement until "my last breath".

Protests by pro-Kurdish demonstrators angry at the government's policy on Syria have left 31 dead in Turkey and raised fears that the fragile peace process with Kurdish rebels could be derailed.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of waging "state terror", equating the crimes of the Damascus regime with those of Islamic State (IS) jihadists.

Ankara is concerned that the focus of the U.S.-led coalition on fighting IS extremists will take attention away from Turkey's long-standing aim of toppling the Syrian leader.

Jihadists captured the headquarters of Kurdish fighters defending the battleground Syrian town of Kobane Friday as a U.N. envoy warned of a looming "massacre" by the Islamic State group.

Outgunned Kurdish militia were struggling to prevent the jihadists closing off the last escape route for the thousands of civilians still in or near the town, prompting an appeal for urgent military assistance.

There was cautious calm in the northern city of Tripoli on Friday morning hours after gunmen attacked army posts, the state-run National News Agency reported.

NNA said masked gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire at the military posts in Talaat al-Omari and Haret al-Saydeh.

Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji is expected to tackle next week the aid granted to the Lebanese military with U.S. and Saudi officials, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday.

According to the daily, Qahwaji will travel to the United States to persuade senior officials to grant the Lebanese army U.S. weapons.

A joint U.S.-Turkish military team will meet next week in Ankara to discuss the fight against Islamic militants after Washington Thursday pressed Turkey to join a U.S.-led coalition.

Two top U.S. envoys met Thursday in Ankara with Turkish leaders seeking to win their NATO ally's support to defeat the Islamic State (IS) group, which has seized a swath of territory in Iraq and Syria.

The founder of U.S. yogurt brand Chobani said Thursday he has given $2 million for Iraqi and Syrian refugees massed along Turkey's borders.

The money from Chobani creator Hamdi Ulukaya will go to items that are urgently needed as winter approaches, such as tents, blankets and food, a statement said.