Syrian rebels battled government forces and allied militia on Wednesday in villages north and east of Hama, a major city whose capture would pile pressure on President Bashar al-Assad. The rebels have staged their biggest advance in years over the past week,

The Syrian government, backed by Russian planes and their allies among pro-Iranian militias, has thwarted some rebel advances in the northern countryside around the city of Hama, a Syria commander told dpa on Tuesday.

Intense airstrikes overnight drove Syrian rebels back from the edge of Hama, a major city whose fall would pile pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, both sides said on Wednesday. Rebels have staged a whirlwind advance over the past week,

The leader of Syria's most powerful insurgent group Wednesday toured the seized city of Aleppo in a surprise visit, for the first time since the group captured large parts of the city last weekend, as fierce fighting intensifies in the government-led counter-offensive in northern Hama.

Islamist rebels in Syria are taking the fight to the Assad regime. According to activists, Shiite militants have begun arriving in eastern Syria to fight alongside government troops battling rebels who drove Assad's forces out of Aleppo last week and took control of the city.