Syrian rebels have been fighting government forces near the central city of Hama

Beirut - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian rebels battled government forces as they advanced toward the city of Hama in central Syria on Tuesday.

The London-based group said clashes had broken out in the countryside north of the city of Hama and that rebels had captured several towns in the past few hours. However, Syrian and Russian fighter jets have carried out dozens of airstrikes in the area.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has a network of sources inside Syria, giving it some updates on the battlefield.

An AFP reporter in the northern countryside of Hama saw dozens of government tanks and military vehicles abandoned on the road leading to the city.

One of the fighters, Surani, told the AFP news agency that they would continue to advance on Hama after clearing government forces from captured towns.

Hama, about 140 kilometers south of Aleppo, is Syria's fourth largest city. It is a strategic city connecting Aleppo and the capital Damascus.

Rebels led by the Ahrar al-Sham group swept into Syria's second city of Aleppo on Friday, taking control of large parts of the city, the city's airport and dozens of strategic towns near Aleppo.

Since late November, the fighting has killed hundreds of people, mostly combatants, and displaced some 50,000 others, according to the United Nations.