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Syrian rebels fighting against the regime of President��Bashar Al-Assad advanced to the outskirts of key city of Hama on Tuesday, following a surprise offensive which saw them take over nearly all of northwestern Syria.

The Syrian state news agency��SANA said that there were "violent confrontations" between the army and rebels in the area.

Late on Tuesday, insurgent groups said they had made it to around six miles from Hama city, and�� had already captured the towns of Maardis and Soran, north of the city.

The move towards Hama is significant as it sits on a strategically important road linking Aleppo in the north to Homs and Damascus in the south, as well as and the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartous, the latter of which is a key regime stronghold.

According to ������'s ���ڴھ��������ٱ���Syria TV, rebels have taken control of several strategic towns and villages in Hama province, including Tal al-Nasiriyah, Rahbat al-Taslih, Maarshahur, Taybat Al-Imam, Halfaya and Khattab.

Sources told Syria TV�� that regime forces had withdrawn from several locations in the city of Hama towards Salamiyah, leaving the city almost empty of forces.

Regime forces also withdrew money, took documents and closed banks and offices in the city, according to the sources.

The rebels say their offensive, dubbed "Operation Deter the Aggression" aims to "secure the return of the displaced, end the rule of corruption and tyranny and build a new Syria that accommodates all its people"��

However the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor said that the Syrian regime and its ally Russia had carried out dozens of strikes in the Hama area and the recent attacks had triggered a huge wave of displacement.

"Large military reinforcements have arrived to the city of Hama to bolster the forces on the front lines and confront any attempted attack," regime news agency SANA reported, citing a military source.

A statement from the regime's army command said it was targeting "terrorist organisations" in north Hama and Idlib with Russian air support.

Hama was a bastion of opposition to the Assad regime after pro-democracy protests erupted in 2011, seeing some of the largest demonstrations against Assad's authoritarian rule. These were met by a violent crackdown by security forces.

The city has been relatively quiet since 2012 but it has a long history of simmering resentment against the Assad regime. In 1982, regime forces killed up to 35,000 people there after an attempted uprising against Bashar Al-Assad's late father, Hafez.

Its capture by the rebels would "pose a threat to the regime's popular base", SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The advance on Hama comes after the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group captured the northern city of Aleppo following a shock offensive last week.

Alarmed by the spread of conflict and apparent threat to Assad’s control, Iran, a key backer of the dictator, said on Tuesday it would consider sending troops to Syria if asked to do so.

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has backed opposition groups, said the sudden advance of rebel groups shows that Assad needs to hold talks with the opposition.

Russia and US clash over Syria

Russia and the US appeared to clash at the UN on Tuesday, each accusing the other of supporting terrorism during a security council meeting, which was called over recent escalations in the country.

The US deputy ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, urged for de-escalation of the fighting in Syria and for civilians to be protected.

Wood warned against the HTS-led offensive and accused regime forces of causing civilian casualties in their attacks on schools and hospitals.

“The fact that the US and UN have designated HTS as a terrorist organisation does not justify further atrocities committed by the Assad regime and its Russian backers” he said.

Turkey's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, Seren Ozgur,��said "the conflict in Syria remains a stark reminder of the costs of international inaction," stressing the need to "revitalize the political process".

Qatar stressed that it is working with its partners in the region to find solutions to ending the fighting

According to the UN, around 50,000 people have been displaced by fighting since the end of November.

At least 602 people have been killed, mostly combatants but also including 104 civilians, according to the SOHR.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was "alarmed" by the violence and called for an immediate halt.

The European Union and the United States called on all sides to de-escalate.