At least 40 people were killed and about 100 wounded after Syrian government forces fired missiles into a market place in a town near Damascus, a conflict monitor and a local rescue group said today.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces fired 12 missiles at Douma, 10 miles northeast of Damascus. Douma has suffered intense bombardment in recent months in a wave of strikes the Syrian army has said targets insurgent groups that launched attacks on nearby government-held areas.

The Syrian Civil Defence group posted a picture on its Facebook page of about a dozen bloodied bodies laid on the ground on plastic sheeting and said more than 45 had died in the attack, which it said used guided missiles.

Medics say they have struggled to cope with large numbers of wounded in the intensified strikes

Many of Douma's residents have fled the four-year-old conflict, moving to nearby rural areas. Medics say they have struggled to cope with large numbers of wounded in the intensified strikes.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said an international meeting on the Syrian conflict was a hopeful sign for Syria and the region as arch-rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia would sit at the table with the others for the first time.

The multi-lateral meeting in Vienna is the first to include Iran in efforts to find a political solution to end the four-year-long Syrian civil war, in which at least 200,000 people have been killed and millions have been displaced.

Speaking after arriving in the Austrian capital, Steinmeier said the discussions could prove successful "if we all come and negotiate prepared to really contribute to a de-escalation of the Syrian conflict"