Syrian regime forces were locked in fierce clashes with Islamic State group jihadists on Tuesday on the outskirts of a key town near the ancient city of Palmyra, a monitor said.

Just two days after seizing Palmyra from IS, pro-government fighters advanced southwest towards the jihadist-held town of Al-Qaryatain.

They seized a series of hilltops overlooking the town during the night and battled IS militants into the afternoon, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based monitor said the troops were backed by both Syrian and Russian air raids.

IS seized Al-Qaryatain in August 2015, kidnapping at least 230 people, including dozens of Christians, and razing its famed Mar Elian monastery.

The town lies on a key road linking Palmyra with the Qalamun region of Damascus province to the west.

Government forces overran Palmyra on Sunday and vowed to use the city as a launchpad for military operations against other IS-held towns in the area.

A military source told AFP on Monday that Al-Qaryatain was "the next goal for the Syrian army" as it consolidated its control around Palmyra.

In September, Moscow deployed its air force to back fighters loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. It has drawn down its forces in recent weeks but has vowed to keep striking "terrorist groups" like IS.

China appoints special envoy to Syria
Beijing (AFP) March 29, 2016 –

China said Tuesday it has appointed its first special envoy to Syria, as part of efforts to increase its diplomatic footprint in the Middle East.

China depends on the volatile region for oil supplies but has long taken a back seat in its disputes, only recently beginning to expand its role. One analyst said the appointment was a calculated move.

In recent months Beijing has hosted high-level delegations from both the Syrian government and the opposition.

It consistently says the crisis needs a "political solution" but has four times vetoed UN Security Council measures aimed at addressing the conflict — the latest seeking the investigation of war crimes in the country.

Xie Xiaoyan, who has been China's ambassador to Iran, Ethiopia and the African Union, will be the new special envoy to Syria, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular briefing.

The appointment would help facilitate peace talks and "contribute Chinese wisdom and solutions" towards attempts to resolve the crisis, he said, reiterating that a political solution was the "only way out".

China has picked what it sees as the right time to create the position, said Jean-Pierre Cabestan of Hong Kong Baptist University.

Negotiations in Geneva on the conflict "may start getting serious and that will be a good occasion for China to get more actively into the game and seen as contributing to a negotiated decision," he said.

Early on in the Syrian turmoil China's proposals were "rather unrealistic" and had little effect, he said, but Beijing probably now saw an opportunity for itself.

China "can try to surf on a new minimal understanding between Russia and the US to be part of the picture and the final solution, if such a solution takes shape," Cabestan explained.

As Beijing's global heft and reach expands it has sought a more prominent world role, but its increasing involvement — and the growing number of Chinese businessmen and personnel working overseas — can also bring challenges.

In November the Islamic State jihadist group — which holds swathes of Syrian territory — said it killed a Chinese hostage and published graphic pictures of his body.

It was unclear when, where, or how Fan Jinghui was killed, but Beijing's foreign ministry confirmed his "inhuman" death and vowed to bring the killers to justice.