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launched air raids on its outskirts as momentum gathered in support of air raids to stop Muammar Gaddafi’s forces.
The United States hoped the UN Security Council would pass a resolution later yesterday that included, but was not limited to, the possibility of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, raising the prospect of bombing raids.
France believes there is enough support to pass the resolution and military intervention could take place within hours of that, a senior French diplomatic source said.
Any action could include France, Britain, possibly the United States and one or more Arab states, the source said.
US Undersecretary of State William Burns said Gaddafi’s forces had made “significant strides on the ground” and were now about 160km from Benghazi.
The Libyan army, which has been attacking rebel-held cities in the east and west of the country, said it would halt its operations on Sunday to give the rebels a chance to surrender, Al Arabiya television reported.
Libyan state television said government troops had taken Zueitina, an oil port on the coastal highway 130 km from Benghazi, but the rebels said they had surrounded the pro-Gaddafi units on the approaches to the town. In Benghazi, the city where the revolution began, residents and a rebel spokesman reported three air strikes on the outskirts, including at the airport, and another air raid further south. Residential areas of Ajdabiyah, a strategic town on the coast road to Benghazi, was the scene of heavy fighting yesterday and around 30 people were killed, Al Arabiya reported.
In Libya’s third city, Misrata, about 200km east of Tripoli, rebels and residents said they were preparing for a new attack by Libyan troops, who had shelled the coastal city overnight. A government spokesman said Gaddafi’s forces expected to be in control of Misrata by today. The United States, previously cool on the idea of a foreign military intervention, said the UN Security Council should consider tougher action than a no-fly zone over Libya. Discussions are under way on the possible direct involvement of Arab nations in any international military action against Gaddafi, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.
US officials said yesterday that Washington wanted the United Nations to authorise not just a no-fly zone to aid Libyan rebels but also air strikes against Libyan tanks and heavy artillery. Clinton said: “It is important to recognise that military experts across the world know that a no-fly zone requires certain actions taken to protect the planes and the pilots, including bombing targets like the Libyan defence system.”
Britain said the latest draft resolution on Libya under discussion at the United Nations called for “all necessary measures short of an occupation force” to protect civilians under threat of attack. – Reuters.