Heavy clashes have been reported in different parts of Syria, a day after at least 120 people were killed in battles between regime forces and opposition forces, according to activists.

Tuesday's fighting was intense in Deir al-Zour, around Damascus, in Homs and Aleppo, according to activists.

On Monday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 80 opposition forces and regime soldiers were among 120 people killed across the country.

Most of the deaths occurred in Deir al- Zour in east of the country, and in Latakia, the heartland of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s minority Alawite sect. Opposition forces and the regime forces have been engaged in intensifying clashes in Latakia for the past few days.

Military jets hit the villages of Esterba and Doureen in the Latakia countryside, activists said, as well as Aleppo, Homs and other cities across Syria.

Conference delayed

As the violence continued, dialogue seemed further away, with Russia saying a proposed international peace conference on Syria would probably not happen until October.

Russia's deputy foreign minister, Gennady Gatilov, said more talks were expected at the end of August on preparing the so-called Geneva 2 conference.

Russian and US officials agreed last week that the long-delayed conference should take place as soon as possible.

Gatilov also said Russia was still keen on including Iran in the talks, a proposal that Washington has not supported.

The conflict in Syria, which erupted more than two years ago, has left almost 100,000 people killed, according to UN figures.

PHOTO CAPTION

In this image taken from Sunday, Aug. 11, 2013, video obtained from the Sham News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, an opposition fighter fires a gun in a valley in an unidentified location in Latakia province, Syria.

Al-Jazeera