Syrian rebels on Saturday hanged two Palestinians at a refugee camp in Damascus on suspicion of aiding the regime of President Bashar Assad, a rights watchdog said.

"Rebels in the Yarmuk camp executed two men accused of cooperating with the regime by identifying targets that were bombed last week," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The United Nations is prepared to broker peace talks between Syria's regime and opposition, the world body's chief Ban Ki-moon and his top envoy for the conflict Lakhdar Brahimi said Saturday.

"The United Nations would welcome and be prepared to facilitate a dialogue between a strong and representative delegation from the opposition and a credible and empowered delegation from the Syrian government," a joint statement said.

Four wounded Syrian regime soldiers were being treated at a north Iraq hospital on Saturday, during clashes with rebels on the Syrian side of the border, the Iraqi defense ministry's spokesman said.

"Four wounded Syrian soldiers were moved to Rabia Hospital, which is close to the Yaarubiyeh border crossing" from Syria into Iraq's Nineveh province, Mohammed al-Askari told Agence France Presse by telephone.

The Syrian army said on Saturday it has seized control of a key road linking the central province of Hama to Aleppo international airport, scene of weeks of fierce battles with rebel fighters.

The capture of the road will allow the army to deploy fresh reinforcements and send supplies to the area near the airport, where fighting has raged since mid-February.

Mortar rounds believed to be have been fired from Syria hit the southern Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday without causing damage or casualties, the army said.

"Several shells landed and were found in an open area in the southern Golan Heights, most likely due to the fighting in Syria," a spokesman told Agence France Presse.

Close Damascus ally Iran expects Bashar Assad to remain Syria's president until elections next year, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Saturday.

"The official position of Iran is that... Assad will remain legitimate president until the next... election" in 2014, Salehi said at a news conference with his visiting Syrian counterpart, Walid al-Muallem.

A ferocious battle on the outskirts of the northern city of Raqa, near the Turkish border, killed dozens of Syrian troops and rebel fighters on Saturday, a watchdog reported.

"Fierce clashes pitting rebel fighters from several battalions against regular troops have raged since dawn on the outskirts of Raqa city," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The abductors of the nine Lebanese Shiite pilgrims held in the Syrian border town of Aazaz on Friday announced that they are willing to free the hostages in return for the release of all women detainees from the prisons of the Syrian regime.

“After several and repeated mediation efforts by international and humanitarian organizations and committees, we announce that we agree to free the nine Lebanese 'guests' in return for the release of all women detainees held in the prisons of Assad's gangs,” the so-called Northern Storm Brigade said on its Facebook page.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama discussed Syria and other urgent issues by telephone Friday, the Kremlin said, as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned against a “dissolution” of the country.

"Within the context of the Syria crisis, Mr. Putin noted the need to end military activities as soon as possible," the Kremlin statement said, noting that the call was initiated by Washington.

Israel's armed forces chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz ruled out on Friday reports saying that Hizbullah possesses chemical weapons, warning the party and Syria that the Israeli army is fully ready to face any emergency in the region.

"Israel will respond to any development that might shake the security balance in the region,” Benny stated during a meeting with high school students in Israel.