Roundup: World powers meet on Syria, as violence continues in war-torn country

While world powers were meeting in Vienna to put the Syrian peace process back on track, as violence continued in Syria, with Syrian army engaged in intense battles against the rebel groups on several fronts on Tuesday.

Under the co-chairmanship of the United States and Russia, the fifth International Syria Support Group (ISSG) ministerial meeting is being held in Vienna, Austria, to discuss the enhancement of a nationwide cessation of hostilities in war-ravaged Syria.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the talks, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said relative peace had been achieved in Syria since the last ISSG meeting held in February in the German city of Munich.

"We have seen a certain calming of combat actions in many parts of Syria in the past three months ... We have seen that relief supplies have become possible in many areas where people were completely cut off from supplies," he said.

Participants at Tuesday's meeting are scheduled to discuss how to create conditions for a better implementation of the agreed ceasefire nationwide. The meeting will also focus on measures to bring the Syrian opposition back to the peace talks, the foreign minister said.

The minister said Tuesday's meeting is "important and urgent," and expressed the hope of achieving success in pushing forward a peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict.

That would encourage the opposition to resume negotiations on a political settlement to end the war, he said.

The opposition pulled out of the last round in April in protest at mounting violence and stalled aid deliveries.

However, in Syria, battles continued on Tuesday on several fronts.

The Syrian army has temporarily cut off the road between the capital Damascus and the southern province of Daraa, after the rebels in the town of Khan al-Shih approached the road, prompting the Syrian army to unleash an offensive against that area.

In the central province of Homs, the Syrian army advanced toward the al-Shaer gas field, which was recently taken by the Islamic State (IS) group.

The pro-government Sham FM radio said the military forces reached the gates of the gas field, which has changed hands between the IS and the Syrian army in the eastern countryside of Homs.

In the northern city of Aleppo, the rebels continued to shell residential areas in the government-controlled part west of Aleppo, local media said.

State news agency SANA said one woman was killed and 11 people wounded on Tuesday when two mortar shells struck the al-Hamadaniyeh in Aleppo city.

Meanwhile, SANA said three civilians were killed and 14 others were wounded, including women and children, when the IS terror group shelled the al-Qusur and al-Jura neighborhoods in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour.

In the southern province of Swaida, SANA said the competent authorities confiscated a vehicle full of explosives as well as Israeli and U.S.-made weaponry headed to the eastern desert, where the rebels are positioned.

In the eastern countryside of Damascus, rebels-on-rebels fighting have flared up on Tuesday.

Pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said 50 rebels were killed in the infighting that has erupted between the so-called Islam Army on one side, and the Failaq al-Rahman, the Jaish al-Fustat, and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front on the other side.

The infighting erupted over a clash of purposes among the ultra-radical groups in eastern Damascus. Endit