Russia on Friday dismissed as "rumors" speculation on the Internet that the wife of President Bashar Assad had taken refuge in the country amid the escalating violence in Syria.

Asma Assad has not been seen recently in public in Syria, giving rise to speculation, which started on the micro-blogging service Twitter, that she may have sought refuge in Syria's remaining ally Russia.

Russia will delay its controversial shipment of three attack helicopters and an air defense system to Syria until security is restored in the country, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday.

"The decision to delay the Syrian delivery timeframe is based on the escalating military and political situation in the country and the act of terror in which several senior Syrian officials were killed and injured," the unnamed military source told the news agency.

Syria's Muslim Brotherhood, a key opponent of President Bashar Assad's regime, announced plans Friday to launch an Islamist political party, saying it was ready for the post-Assad era.

"The decision has been taken to create an Islamic party," the head of the Brotherhood's political wing, Ali Beyanouni, told journalists after the group completed a four-day conference in Istanbul.

General Hisham Ikhtiyar, the head of Syrian national security wounded in a Damascus bomb blast that killed three senior officials, died of his wounds on Friday, state television announced, as state funerals were held in Damascus for the three top officials who died on Wednesday.

"The leadership of the (ruling) Baath party offers its condolences to the people on the death of the comrade, General Hisham Ikhtiyar, chief of national security, who succumbed to his wounds before noon," the broadcaster said.

Comments by Russia's envoy to Paris that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is ready to give up power in a "civilized manner" are "totally baseless," Syrian state television said on Friday.

"The comments attributed to the Russian ambassador to Paris on the fact that President Assad would agree to relinquish power in a civilized manner are totally baseless," the broadcaster said.

Britain will step up its support for Syria's rebels after Russia and China blocked a U.N. Security Council resolution against Bashar Assad's regime, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Friday.

Hague said Russia in particular would regret its actions, which he said would be harmful to its long-term goals in the region.

Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets into southern Israel on Friday where they hit without causing casualties or damage, an Israeli military spokeswoman said.

"Two rockets hit the Eshkol region in southern Israel, at two in the morning and three in the afternoon. Neither caused casualties or damage," she told Agence France Presse.

Russia on Friday slammed the "unacceptable" Western criticism that followed its decision to block together with China the threat of sanctions against its ally Syria at the U.N. Security Council.

"It is absolutely unacceptable that some Western countries are trying to lay the blame for the escalating Syrian violence on Russia's refusal to support a resolution threatening sanctions against the authorities," foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told reporters.

More than 300 people were killed in violence across Syria on Thursday, making it the deadliest day of a 16-month uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime, a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a Friday statement that a total of 302 people -- 98 soldiers, 139 civilians and 65 rebels -- were killed across the country, revising an earlier toll.

Russia's veto of a U.N. Security Council resolution to sanction Syria has exposed President Barack Obama's "lack of leadership" on the issue, White House hopeful Mitt Romney said Thursday.

Russia and China blocked U.N. action against Syria for the third time in nine months, triggering outrage by Western powers intent on heaping more pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down.