Syria media: Rebels killed preparing car bomb

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's state-run media say several rebels were killed while they were rigging a car with explosives in the central city of Homs.

Homs has been the scene of a siege by President Bashar Assad's forces who for over a year have been trying to rout opposition fighters from rebel-held areas.

The state SANA news agency said on Monday that the explosion occurred in the city's Jaj district late on Sunday and that "a number" of opposition fighters died.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the car bomb killed at least 29 rebels from Islamic fighting groups, including two local leaders. The Observatory, which obtains its information from activists on the ground, didn't say what caused the bombing.

Rebels inside Homs could not immediately be reached for confirmation.