Syrian rebel fighters redoubled their push to seize the central city of Hama on Wednesday as government forces carried out airstrikes on the front lines and in opposition-held areas, including one that killed a veteran Syrian photographer.

Award-winning Syrian photographer Anas Alkharboutli, who worked for German press agency DPA, was killed Wednesday in an air strike near the Syrian city of Hama, his employer said."Our photographer Anas Alkharboutli,

A group of Syrian journalists headed toward Hama were hit by an airstrike, killing photographer Anas Alkharboutli.

If the insurgents seize the city of Hama, the coastal cities of Tartous and Latakia could be isolated from the rest of the country.

A Syrian photographer working for the German news agency dpa was killed by a fighter jet attack near the Syrian city of Hama, dpa reported on Wednesday. A freelancer who was with Anas Alkharboutli when the strike happened said a group of journalists were heading into Hama countryside when they heard a plane.