Syrian Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shaar was admitted on Wednesday to hospital in Beirut, reported al-Jadeed television.

A Lebanese minister told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity that al-Shaar arrived at 7:30 pm (1630 GMT) at Beirut airport, and he was taken to the American University Hospital.

The fall of the Syrian regime is "only a matter of time", Turkey's foreign minister said on Wednesday, calling on other countries to help make the transition period as brief as possible.

"It is clear that if a regime loses legitimacy and fights against its own people, that regime will lose that fight," Ahmet Davutoglu said at a press conference after meeting with his Finnish counterpart Erkki Tuomioja in Helsinki.

A Syrian merchant in his 40s shot dead his Russian wife in the embattled northern city of Aleppo because she supported President Bashar Assad's regime, the killer's cousin told AFP on Wednesday.

Clothes shop owner Mohammed on Tuesday evening used a pistol to shoot his wife dead after an argument in their home in the rebel-held district of Maysar in southwestern Aleppo, said Ahmed, a 30-year-old government employee.

The March 14 General Secretariat stressed on Wednesday its commitment to holding the parliamentary elections on time, saying that it seeks an agreement over a new electoral law.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “We respect constitutional deadlines, while the March 8 camp appears to be afraid of the elections as it is worried that it will be defeated.”

Syria's top Islamic authority appealed to the opposition to seek "regime change through dialogue, not by force," the SANA state news agency said on Wednesday.

"Members of the foreign-based opposition will ultimately be forced to sit at the negotiating table," Grand Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Hassun Badreddin was quoted as saying.

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Wednesday the need for the parliamentary elections to be held on time.

He said during his weekly meeting with lawmakers: “The March 14 camp is dealing positively with this issue.”

The U.N. appealed Wednesday for $1.5 billion to help Syrians fleeing the fighting, warning that the number of refugees in neighboring countries could double to a million by June.

"The conflict has become increasingly brutal and indiscriminate and has exacted a heavy toll," the U.N.'s humanitarian affairs agency said in a statement.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Wednesday that Lebanon is committed to its moral and humanitarian duties towards refugees fleeing Syria to Lebanon.

He made his remarks during a cabinet session at the Grand Serail after which Information Minister Walid al-Daouq revealed that another meeting will be held soon in order to tackle the flow of Syrian and Palestinian refugees to Lebanon.

Syrian government forces are carrying out a broad offensive against rebels in the suburbs of Damascus, the state media said Wednesday.

The state-run SANA news agency said that troops have killed "scores of terrorists" — the government term for the rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged the international community to help Palestinian refugees fleeing fighting in camps in Syria to enter the West Bank and Gaza.

"Mahmoud Abbas, president of the state of Palestine, requested Wednesday that U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the international community enable our people in Syria to enter Palestinian territory," a statement carried on the official WAFA news agency said.