Rebels on Tuesday overran a military air base and captured warplanes, gaining ground in northern Syria for a second straight day as the UN said the death toll from the 23-month conflict was nearly 70,000. The military advance came as prospects for a political solution to Syria's civil war faded and as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged President Bashar al-Assad's regime to accept an offer of dialogue by an opposition leader.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebels captured a military airport at Al-Jarrah in Aleppo province, and in the process seized for the first time a fleet of deployable warplanes including MiG fighter jets. During their assault on the airport, the rebels killed, injured or imprisoned dozens of troops, the watchdog said, adding that as the rest of the troops pulled out, they left behind ammunition and warplanes.

Soon afterwards, the air force used fighter jets to bombard the airport to try to dislodge rebels there, the Observatory said, adding warplanes also carried out raids near the international airport which has come under a rebel assault. Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, a military source in Aleppo confirmed the rebel capture "after 48 hours of fierce combat", but downplayed the importance of Al-Jarrah.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2013