Syrian rebels surround strategic city of Hama after Aleppo takeover

Rebels within kilometres on three sides' of city, seen as crucial to Assad regime's defence of the capital, Damascus

Syrian rebels encircled the key central city of Hama from three sides" on Wednesday, 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 of Bashar al-Assad, 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 the president's grasp.