Turkey has warned that repeated ceasefire violations by Syria's government are threatening peace talks scheduled for later this month.

Britain and the United States are considering economic sanctions against Russia and Syria as there is no appetite among Western powers for a military solution to protect civilians from their bombardment in the civil war.

Syrian president Bashar Assad has said US air strikes on Syrian troops were "definitely intentional", lasting for an hour, and blamed the US for the collapse of a ceasefire deal brokered with Russia.

Western nations publicly critical of Bashar Assad's regime have been quietly sending security officials to collaborate with his government, the Syrian president said.

The Syrian president has vowed to “liberate” every inch of the country in the same way his troops recaptured the historic town of Palmyra from Islamic State earlier his year.

Syrian peace talks have broken down after the UN mediator said the opposition had suspended its formal participation in the indirect discussions with President Bashar Assad's government in protest over "worrisome" new violence.

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad told a senior Tory that Russian president Vladimir Putin will not let him “lose”.

Syrians in government-controlled areas are heading to polling stations to elect a new 250-member parliament which is expected to serve as a rubber stamp for President Bashar Assad.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview that Syria needs a national unity government that would secure the transition to a new constitution, rejecting the “transitional body” demanded by the opposition, which wants him to step down.

Russia's defence ministry has said personnel at its air base in Syria are preparing for some of the planes and fighter jets to return home.

The Syrian president has assured Russia's Vladimir Putin of Damascus's commitment to a Russia-US proposed truce.

A Russian proposal to end Syria’s conflict that would include early presidential elections is facing opposition from both sides, as deep divisions remain over the fate of Bashar Assad.

Syrian president Bashar Assad has met his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow, according to Syrian state media.

Pentagon officials have urged the Russian military to focus its airstrikes in Syria on Islamic State (IS) fighters rather than opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Paris prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into French government accusations that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government has committed crimes against humanity.

Syrian president Bashar Assad has said the refugee crisis in Europe is a direct result of the West’s support of “terrorists” in Syria.

Syrian authorities have arrested a relative of President Bashar Assad on suspicion of shooting a senior army officer in a traffic dispute, setting off rare protests in a coastal stronghold of the Assad family.