Syria's state media said Monday that government troops repulsed a rebel attack on a police school in the northern city of Aleppo, one day after President Bashar al-Assad called on Syrians to fight an opposition that he characterized as religious extremists.

SANA news agency said members of the "terrorist group" were killed and wounded in the late Sunday battle but did not specify the number. The government and the pro-regime media refer to rebels as terrorists.

Aleppo, Syria's largest city and a former commercial hub, has been a major front in the civil war since July, with battles often raging for control of military and security facilities such as the police school. Rebels have recently made significant advances there, in the east, and in the capital Damascus, bringing the civil war closer to the seat of Assad's power.

In his speech Sunday, Assad laid out terms for a peace plan but dismissed any chance of dialogue with "murderous criminals" who he said were responsible for nearly two years of violence. Nearly 60,000 people have died, according to a recent United Nations estimate.

Assad vows to continue battle

Assad appeared confident and relaxed in a one-hour speech — his first public address in six months. He struck a defiant tone, ignoring international demands for him to step down and saying he is ready to hold a dialogue — but only with those "who have not betrayed Syria." He also vowed to continue the battle "as long as there is one terrorist left."

He offered a national reconciliation conference, elections and a new constitution but demanded regional and Western countries stop funding and arming rebels trying to overthrow his regime first.

Syria's opposition swiftly rejected the proposal. Those fighting to topple the regime, including rebels on the ground, have repeatedly said they will accept nothing less than the president's departure, dismissing any kind of settlement that leaves him in the picture.

The West, including the U.S. and Britain which have called on Assad to step down, denounced the speech that came amid stepped-up international efforts for a peaceful way out of the Syrian conflict.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that Assad's rejection of the most important elements in an international roadmap to end the country's civil war means Assad has no real plan to end Syrians' "terrible suffering."

"The secretary general was disappointed that the speech ... does not contribute to a solution that could end the terrible suffering of the Syrian people," said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.

Ban and UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi will continue to work for a political transition that leads to UN-organized elections, he said. The roadmap calls for a political transition and the establishment of a transitional governing body.

Iran's foreign minister hails Assad's plan

The foreign minister of Iran, one of Syria's closest allies, hailed Assad's initiative. Ali Akbar Salehi said it contains "solutions" to the conflict and outlines "a comprehensive political process which guarantees the presence of all voices in power." Salehi called on the international community to support Assad's plan to end the war in Syria.

'All regional and international partners should help the immediate resolution of the crisis.'— Iran's foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi

"All regional and international partners should help the immediate resolution of the crisis and prevent its spread to the region," Salehi said in a statement that was carried by the state-run IRNA news agency Monday.

Previous diplomatic initiatives have failed to stem the bloodshed. The violence has often spilled over into Syria's neighbouring countries, including former ally Turkey.

The Dutch military on Monday shipped Patriot missiles to Turkey, a fellow NATO member, after the alliance agreed in December to deploy the anti-missile systems along Turkey's southern border with Syria.

Turkey requested the missiles to boost its air defences against possible spillover from Syria.

Turkey calls for Syrian leader to step down

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized Assad's initiative and again called on the Syrian leader to relinquish power.

"There is one way out for Bashar and that is to respect the will of the people and do whatever is necessary," Erdogan said at a media conference while visiting Gabon. His remarks were broadcast by Turkish state TV Monday.

'There is one way out for Bashar and that is to respect the will of the people.'— Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Violence has flared along the border in recent months, with Turkey firing artillery across the frontier to retaliate for Syrian shells hitting Turkish soil. In the deadliest cross-border incident, a Syrian shell killed five civilians in a Turkish border town in October.

The two Dutch batteries are scheduled to be operational by the end of the month and will remain in Turkey for a year. They are part of a NATO contingent of Patriot missiles that intercept incoming ballistic missiles. Two U.S. and two German batteries are also being deployed to other parts of southern Turkey.

The Syria conflict began with peaceful protests in March 2011 but has since shifted into a civil war. The conflict has increasingly taken sectarian overtones in the past year, with predominantly Sunni Muslim rebels fighting the ruling regime that is dominated by Alawites, an offshoot group of Shia Islam.

Fighting continued unabated Monday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels clashed with troops in the suburbs of Damascus, including in Daraya south of the capital. The Observatory said the army sent reinforcements there to join in an offensive aimed at dislodging rebels from the district, located just a few kilometres from a strategic military air base west of the capital.

The towns and cities around Damascus have seen relentless fighting in recent weeks as rebels try to push through the government's heavy defences in the capital. The regime has responded with withering counterattacks that include barrages by artillery and warplanes. The Observatory also reported clashes in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, in the central region of Homs and in the southern province of Daraa, the birthplace of the uprising in March 2011.