Islamist-led Syrian rebels surrounded the key city of Hama "from three sides" on Wednesday as they continued their offensive on government-held territory. This marks the latest win for the rebels after last week's takeover of the country's second city Aleppo, which in more than a decade of war had never completely fallen out of government hands.

Syrian rebels on Wednesday encircled the key central city of Hama "from three sides", a war monitor said, despite a counteroffensive launched by government forces to retain control of the city.

Hama is strategically located in central Syria and, for the army, it is crucial to safeguarding the capital and seat of power Damascus.

The fighting around Hama follows a lightning offensive by Islamist-led rebels who in a matter of days wrested swathes of territory, most significantly Syria's second city Aleppo, from President Bashar al-Assad's grasp.

The rebels "have surrounded Hama city from three sides, and are now present at a distance of three to four kilometres (1.9 to 2.5 miles) from it," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Key to the rebels' successes since the start of the offensive last week was the takeover of Aleppo, which in more than a decade of war had never entirely fallen out of government hands.

(AFP)