Germany on Sunday called for a transitional government in Syria in a bid to resolve the country's years-long civil war, as European governments increasingly soften their demands over President Bashar Assad's departure.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier mooted talks between regional actors, European countries, the United States and Russia "towards the foundation of a transitional government", which he said "would already be a lot".

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast Sunday that Moscow does not plan ground operations in Syria "right now" but will intensify its support for Bashar Assad.

The Russian leader was speaking on CBS news magazine "60 Minutes" on the eve of a much-anticipated speech to the U.N. General Assembly in which he is expected to defend the Syrian strongman.

French President Francois Hollande highlighted the “difficult” responsibilities Lebanon has to endure over the huge number of refugees it is harboring, reported the daily An Nahar on Monday.

He expressed his understanding over the burden it is supporting, revealing that he “will travel to Beirut in October.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron called for discussions on how to bring about political transition in Syria on Sunday as he prepares to meet world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Britain has stressed that Syrian President Bashar Assad would not necessarily have to go immediately as part of a peace deal.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday he saw a widespread acceptance among major powers that Syrian leader Bashar Assad should stay in office.

"I think today everyone has accepted that President Assad must remain so that we can combat the terrorists," Rouhani told CNN.

A rocket fired from war-torn Syria strayed into the Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan Heights Sunday, prompting the Israeli army to respond after the second such incident in as many days.

The Israeli military said the rocket crashed into a field without causing any casualties or damage.

The extremist Islamic State group has closed playgrounds in a Syrian city because they were being used as a meeting place for unrelated men and women, a monitor said Sunday.

"IS has shut down playgrounds in the city of Mayadeen in the eastern Deir Ezzor province... under the pretext that there was mixing between men and women bringing their children to play," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin launched a new coalition to battle the Islamic State in Syria on Sunday, as he prepared to confront U.S. rival Barack Obama at the United Nations.

The dramatic diplomatic gambit underlined how Russia has seized the initiative on Syria, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met his counterpart Sergei Lavrov to express his concerns.

Two severely wounded Islamist rebels were rushed out of a flashpoint rebel bastion in Syria to Lebanon on Sunday as part of a truce in flashpoint areas, a monitor said.

"The United Nations transferred two Ahrar al-Sham fighters in critical condition from Zabadani to Lebanon," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Seventeen Syrian refugees drowned Sunday when their boat sank in Turkish waters on its way to Greece, local media reported, while the Italian coastguard said it had rescued some 500 migrants in the Mediterranean this weekend.

The bodies of the dead Syrians -- including five children -- were discovered by the Turkish coastguard inside the cabin of their wooden boat, which had set off from the holiday resort town of Bodrum for the Greek island of Leros, the Dogan news agency reported.