Libya Live Blog - March 19

Libya Live Blog - March 19

As the uprising in Libya continues, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe. Al Jazeera is not responsible for content derived from external sites.

• Timestamp: 

  11:59pm

  Al Jazeera's live blogging of events as they unfold continues at our March 20 blog.

• Timestamp: 

  11:49pm

  Gaddafi also said that the arms depots of Libya should be opened to citizens so that they can defend themselves.

• Timestamp: 

  11:46pm

  Muammar Gaddafi has made a short statement via telephone to Libyan state television, saying that these air strikes will cause another "crusade" to be launched, and that the Mediterranean and North Africa have become a battleground.

• Timestamp: 

  11:43pm

  Here's that briefing by Vice-Admiral William Gortney, outlining US military operations in Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  11:35pm

  A French officials tells AFP that air strikes by the United States, Britain and France on Libyan territory are being coordinated at a US airbase in Germany. 

• Timestamp: 

  11:25pm

  Reuters reports that residents of Misurata say that air strikes in that city have targetted an air base where pro-Gaddafi forces are located.

• Timestamp: 

  11:19pm

  Libyan state television reports that Muammar Gaddafi is to address the nation on the commencement of military intervention in Libya shortly.

• Timestamp: 

  11:14pm

  Libyan state media reports that air strikes have taken place in Zuwara, Tripoli, Misurata, Sirte and Benghazi.

• Timestamp: 

  11:06pm

  Four Al Jazeera journalists have been detained by Libyan authorities in the west of the country.

  Lotfi al-Messaoudi (a Tunisian), Ahmed Vall Ould Addin (a Mauritanian), Ammar al-Hamdan (a Norwegian cameraman) and Kamel Atalua (British) were held while working in the west of the country.

  Al Jazeera says that the Libyan authorities will be held accountable for the safety, security and well-being of the team, who are being held in Tripoli.

• Timestamp: 

  10:55pm

  Quotes from Mohammad al-Zawi, the secretary-general of the Libyan Public Congress (Parliament)

   

  I am very sorry and saddened that my country tonight is facing a barbaric and armed attack. Some Western countries are leading a rocket attack in Tripoli and Misurata. An attack that caused some real harm gainst civilians and buildings.

  "This barbaric aggression against the Libyan ppl comes while we have announced the ceasefire against the armed militias which are prt of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

  "And the attack comes as Libya has announced general and major developments and reforms in the economic and organisational contexts.

  "The number of civilians who have been hurt or harmed by this aggression tonight, the number is filling up our hositals, and ambulances are doing their best to save as many lives of civilians as possible.

  "This aggression is barbaric and that has no excuse since Libya has already accepted the resolutions of the security council and announced and the armed forces announced a ceasefire and stopped all military operations against the armed militias.

  "Furthermore, Libya has requested the presence of international observers on the ground to judge that we did really stop our military operations.

  "And instead of sending fact-finding missions to find out what is really happening, some countries have elected for an aggression against Libya.This aggression will not weaken our spirit, and will not convince Libyans to give up to the armed militias who are part of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

  "And what you have seen of the masses gathering in different locations to protect them, declaring their allegiance to the leader of the country, is the proof that the Libyan people will not be defeated."

   

• Timestamp: 

  10:52pm

  Mohammad Al Zawi, the secretary general of the Libyan parliament is speaking live on Libyan state television now. Updates to follow.

• Timestamp: 

  10:46pm

  AFP reports that Libyan state television reports that a French aircraft has been shot down over Libya. There is no independent confirmation of this claim yet.

• Timestamp: 

  10:36pm

  Vice Admiral William Gortney, the Director of the US Joint Staff, just completed his briefing. He said that US is "the leading edge" of coalition military operations on Libya, which are aimed at preventing further attacks on civilian and opposition targets and also at degrading the Libyan ability to violate a no-fly zone, both as authorised under UN Resolution 1973.

  He said that the US had struck more than 20 air defence system targets, mostly on Libya's west coast, including communications and SA-5 (surface-to-air) missile sites, as well as the C-2 architecture that goes with those long range missile sites.

  About 110-112 Tomahawk missiles were used during the operation, which was critical to creating conditions to be able to set up a no-fly zone.

  He said that US military aircraft were not currently in Libyan air space in this phase of operations, and that the US was using its "unique capabilities to shape the battlespace" before handing over command of operations to other coalition leaders.

  Currently, officers with coalition partners are aboard the USS Mount Whitney, from where military operations are being commanded.

  He also said that further action will depend on a bomb damage assessment, adding that this could not be done using US Reaper or Predator drones, as they were not being deployed. He anticipated that this would take 6-12 hours.

   

   

• Timestamp: 

  10:28pm

  There is a briefing by Vice Admiral William E Gortney, Director of the Joint Staff in the US, currently ongoing at the Pentagon. Updates to follow.

• Timestamp: 

  10:20pm

  David Cameron, the British prime minister, has just spoken on the commencement of military operations on Libya.

  Tonight, British forces are in action over Libya. They are part of an international coalition that has come together to enforce the will of the United Nations and to protect the Libyan people. We have all seen the appalling brutality that Colonel Kadhafi has meted out against his own people and far from introducing the ceasefire he spoke about he has actually stepped up the attacks and the brutality."

• Timestamp: 

  10:17pm

  A high-level African Union panel on the Libyan crisis has rejected "any kind of foreign military intervention" in Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  10:12pm

  The Pentagon says that the UAE and Qatar will also be involved in military operations in Libya, but will announce their involvement themselves. 

  The operation falls under the operational command of the US African Command, under General Carter Hamm. Tactical execution is being run out of the USS Mount Whitney, Admiral Sam Locklear commanding.

  Off the coast of Libya, there are: 11 vessels from Italy, 11 from the US (including three submarines, each with 100 missiles on board), one from the UK, one from France and one from Canada.

  The no-fly zone will encompass Tripoli, Sabha, Natoura, Misurata and Benghazi.

• Timestamp: 

  10:10pm

  Barack Obama, the US president, has just made short comments on the initiation of military operations. He says that the US is "proud that we are acting as part of a coalition", and that the coalition was "answering the calls of a threatened people".

• Timestamp: 

  9:59pm

  Reuters reports that no major coalition strikes have been initially planned around the opposition stronghold of Benghazi.

  Operations in the first phase are currently aimed at degrading the Libyan government's air defences.

   

• Timestamp: 

  9:53pm

  Al Jazeera's correspondent Kimberly Halkett was present at a Pentagon briefing on operations in Libya. She reports that the US is targetting Integrated Missile Defence Systems along the Libyan coast.

  Those strikes are the first wave, where the US is in the lead of coalition efforts which involve France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada.

  The US will be in control for an unspecified period of time, but then will transfer control to coalition forces. Currently operations of the Joint Task Force are being run from the USS Mt Whitney. There are about 25 ships and submarines present in Mediterranean that will be taking part in operations.

• Timestamp: 

  9:48pm

  Libyan state television reports that civilian targets in Tripoli have been hit by "crusaders' warplanes".

  Meanwhile, David Cameron, the British prime minister, confirms that British forces are in action over Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  9:46pm

  A US warship has launched cruise missiles against Libya, CNN reports.

• Timestamp: 

  9:43pm

  Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, says that military operations in Libya will continue over the next few days until Gaddafi's government complies with UN Resolution 1973.

   

• Timestamp: 

  9:37pm

  More on those comments from Hugo Chavez, made on state television in Venezuela:

  They want to seize Libya's oil and they care nothing about the lives of the Libyan people. These are the men of war ... what irresponsibility. Behind this is the hand of the United States and its European allies, instead of taking the path that we have modestly proposed."

• Timestamp: 

  9:33pm

  Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, says foreign milistary intervention in Libya is driven by a desire to control the country's oil wealth.

  "They want to seize Libya's oil," he said.

• Timestamp: 

  9:31pm

  AFP reports that loud blasts have been heard east of the Tripoli, according to witnesses. It is not immediately clear what caused the blasts.

• Timestamp: 

  9:23pm

  There is a new audio update on the Voices of Feb 17 website, with a Tripoli resident talking about a large security forces crackdown on protests and a city with an air of expectancy.

• Timestamp: 

  9:13pm

  The Pentagon is also due to begin a briefing in a few minutes, with Vice Admiral William E Gortney providing an operational update concerning Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  9:11pm

  Barack Obama, the US president, is due to make a statement on developments in Libya to reporters in Brasilia, the Brazilian capital, within the hour, the White House says.

• Timestamp: 

  9:08pm

  Now not to suggest any sort of conspiracy theory, but here's quite a coincidence: on March 19, 2003 (i.e. exactly eight years ago), US forces began military operations in the second Iraq War. 

• Timestamp: 

  9:04pm

  The US Navy has three submarines stationed in the Mediterranean Sea that are preparing for operations against Libya, a US defence official has told Reuters.

  The Associated Press earlier reported that while the US did not intend to use fighter jets in the initial stages of the conflict in Libya, they would use sea-based assets to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libyan air defences. 

• Timestamp: 

  9:02pm

  Al Jazeera's James Bays in Benghazi is live on Al Jazeera English now, reporting in the dark as we don't wish to use our large lighting equipment to light up his hotel room on a night when air strikes are feared in Benghazi.

• Timestamp: 

  8:59pm

  And here's a complete list of attendees at the Paris summit:

  French President Nicolas Sarkozy as:
  UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
  Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero
  German Chancellor Angela Merkel
  Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper
  Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani
  Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk
  Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen
  Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
  Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou
  Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg
  Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme
  British Prime Minister David Cameron
  Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte
  Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa
  European Council President Herman Van Rompuy
  European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton
  Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari
  UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan
  US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
  Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh
  Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri

• Timestamp: 

  8:53pm

  A statement has been issued by the Paris summit on Libya. While we won't reproduce the quite lengthy document in full, here are some highlights:

  - It describes the Libyan government as "carr[ying] out a growing brutal crackdown, using weapons of war against his own people and perpetrating against them grave and massive violations of humanitarian law".

  - It describes the current situation as "intolerable".

  - "Muammar Gaddafi and those executing his orders must immediately end the acts of violence carried out against civilians, to withdraw from all areas they have entered by force, return to their compounds, and allow full humanitarian access. We reiterate that the Security Council took the view that Libyan regime's forces actions may amount to crimes against humanity and that, to this end, it has referred the matter to the International Criminal Court."

  - "We are determined to take all necessary action, includingmilitary, consistent with UNSCR 1973, to ensure compliance with all its requirements."

• Timestamp: 

  8:43pm

  That statement from the Russian foreign ministry:

  In Moscow we regret this armed intervention within UN resolution 1973 which was adopted in haste. We are convinced that bloodshed must be quickly stopped and that Libyans must talk to each other if the internal conflict in Libya is to be settled permanently."

• Timestamp: 

  8:28pm

  Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, says he is now postponing a trip to Russia in order to monitor developments in Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  8:27pm

  Russia says that it "regrets this military action", according to Alexander Lukashevich, a foreign ministry spokesman.

• Timestamp: 

  8:24pm

  Anita McNaught, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tripoli, reports that several hundred pro-Gaddafi demonstrators who gathered in Muammar Gaddafi's residence at Bab al-Aziziyah said they were doing so in order to protect the palace from "air strikes" from French aircraft.

• Timestamp: 

  8:17pm

  Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, has said that he found Libya's response via telephone regarding a UN resolution to be "troubling".

  He said that Libyan claims that the conflict had halted and that the lack of confidence in the government was so great that he no longer trusts what Libyan leaders are saying.

• Timestamp: 

  7:52pm

  French warplanes hit four pro-Gaddafi tanks on the outskirts of Benghazi in that strike that we reported earlier, sources have told Al Jazeera. There is no immediate word on casualties.

• Timestamp: 

  7:39pm

  Secretary Clinton closed her statements with comments on her "constructive" discussions with GCC leaders on the evolving situation in Bahrain, as well a reiteration of the urgent humanitarian aid need in Libya, particularly on the borders with Egypt and Tunisia.

• Timestamp: 

  7:35pm

  Secretary Clinton's remarks following the summit in Paris:

  First, let's remember how we got here. As you know, Americans and people around the world, watched with growing concern as Libyan civilians were gunned down by a government that has lost all legitimacy. The people of Libya appealed for help.

  "The Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council called for action. The international community came together to speak with one voice and deliver a clear and consistent message: Colonel Gaddafi's campaign of violence against his own people must stop. 

  "The strong votes in the UN Security Council underscored this unity. And now the Gaddafi forces face unambiguous terms. A ceasefire must be implemented immediately. That means all attacks against civilians must stop. 

  "Troops must stop advancing on Benghazi, and pull back from Ajdabiyah, Misurata and Az Zawiyah. Water, electricity and gas supplies must be turned on to all areas. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to reach the people of Libya. 

  "Yesterday President Obama said very clearly that if Gaddafi failed to comply with these terms, there would be consequences. Since the president spoke, there has been some talk from Tripoli of a ceasefire, but the reality on the ground tells a very different story. 

  "Colonel Gaddafi continues to defy the world.

  "His attacks on civilians go on. Today we have been monitoring the troubling reports of fighting around and within Benghazi itself. As president Obama also said, we have every reason to fear that left unchecked, Gaddafi will commit unspeakable atrocities.

  "It is against that backdrop that nations from across the region and the world met today here in Paris to discuss the ways we can, working together, implement UN Resolution 1973. We all recognise that further delay will only put more civilians at risk. 

  "So let me be very clear about the position of the United States. We will support an international coalition as it takes all necessary measures to enforce the terms of resolution 1973. As you may know, French planes are already in the skies above Benghazi.

  "Now America has unique capabilities and we will bring them to bear, to help our European and Canadian allies and Arab partners stop further violence against civilians, including through the effective implementation of a no-fly zone.

  "As President Obama said, the US will not deploy ground troops, but there should be no mistaking our committment to this effort.

  "Today I was able to discuss next steps with the full group, and also conduct smaller, focused conversations with many of my colleagues. I met first with President Sarkozy and Prime Minister Cameron. Both France and the United Kingdom, along with other key partners, have stepped forward to play a leading role in enforcing 1973.

  "We reviewed the latest reports from the ground, and discussed how we can work together most effectively in the hours and days ahead, and how we would work very cooperatively with our other partners, including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey as well as others that are not in that long list.

  "I also had the opportunity to engage today with my Arab counterparts ...

  "We have said from the start that Arab leadership and participation in this effort is crucial, and the Arab League showed that with its pivotal statements on Libya, what really that meant: it changed the diplomatic landscape.

  "They have sent another strong message by being here today, and we look to them for continued leadership as well as active participation and leadership going forward.

  "With Sheikh Abdullah [bin Zayed of the UAE] and [Qatari] prime minister Hamad bin Jassem, I reiterated our strong and enduring partnership. The United States has an abiding commitment to Gulf security, and a top priority is working together with our partners on our shared concerns about Iranian behaviour in the region.

  "We share the view that Iran's activities in the Gulf, including its efforts to advance its agenda in neighbouring continues undermines peace and stability. Our Gulf partners are critical to the international community's efforts on Libya, and we thank them for their leadership." 

   

• Timestamp: 

  7:31pm

  One of the more interesting statements that Secretary Clinton made was in highlighting US concern of Iranian "activity" in the Gulf.

  That transcript of her statements is coming shortly.

• Timestamp: 

  7:20pm

  Spanish F-18 fighter jets are preparing to take part in enforcing UN Resolution 1973.

• Timestamp: 

  7:08pm

  Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher has just filed this report, rounding up developments in Libya today.

  Also, world leaders have promised action in Libya following the conclusion of a summit in Paris. Click here for updates on that meeting.

• Timestamp: 

  7:16pm

  "A first target was engaged and destroyed," Laurent Teisseire, a French defence ministry spokesman, has told Reuters. 

• Timestamp: 

  6:59pm

  Reuters, quoting the French defence ministry, reports that a French plane has fired the first live fire shots in Libya, targetting a vehicle at 1645GMT.

• Timestamp: 

  6:59pm

  Reuters, quoting the French defence ministry, reports that a French plane has fired the first live fire shots in Libya, targetting a vehicle at 1645GMT.

• Timestamp: 

  6:53pm

  France says it will send its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to waters off Libya, the defence ministry says.

  In case you're wondering what it looks like, here's a file photo from GALLO/GETTY.

  

   

• Timestamp: 

  6:35pm

  Clinton asserts that the United States remains concerned about Iranian influence in the Gulf, and also underscored the point that the United States was acting as part of a "broad international effort".

  A full transcript will follow after her comments are completed.

• Timestamp: 

  6:30pm

  Clinton warns Gaddafi that there will be "consequences" if he does not comply with international demands, as state in UN Resolution 1973.

  Gaddafi continues to defy the world. [...]

  "As President Obama also said, we have every reason to fear, that left unchecked, Gaddafi will commit unspeakable atrocities."

• Timestamp: 

  6:27pm

  Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, is speaking after the summit in Paris right now.

• Timestamp: 

  6:15pm

  In brief comments in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, Barack Obama, the US president, says that the people of Libya must be protected and that the United States is ready to act in that country.

  He also said he joins Brazil in condemning human rights abuses in Libya. 

• Timestamp: 

  6:11pm

  Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley in Benghazi reports that while attacks by pro-Gaddafi forces have subsided for now, but opposition fighters expect another offensive tonight.
• Timestamp: 

  6:07pm

  Libyan state television is currently broadcasting live footage of pro-Gaddafi rallies in Tripoli, Sirte and Bab Azaziya.

• Timestamp: 

  5:52pm

  Qatar and several European nations, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway have confirmed that they will be taking part in a UN-sanctioned military intervention in Libya, AFP reports, citing a diplomatic source.
• Timestamp: 

  5:48pm

  US officials say that while their ships and aircraft are ready to take part in military action in Libya, they have not done so yet.

• Timestamp: 

  5:42pm

  The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has held a meeting of its executive committee in Jeddah on the situation in Libya.

  The body has called on member-states to begin establishing contacts with the Benghazi-based opposition's National Council. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the body's secretary-general said:

  Since legitimacy emanates from the people and if force is utilised against the people, legitimacy loses its foundations. Therefore we call upon the OIC members states to establish contacts with the Libyan interim national council."

• Timestamp: 

  5:39pm

  The ANSA news agency quotes Silvio Burlesconi, the Italian prime minister, as saying that Italy is only providing air bases for the operation against Libya at the moment, but could take further part if need be.

  Earlier, al-Arabiya television reported that Italian planes were flying surveillance missions over Libya. 

• Timestamp: 

  5:28pm

  Adding his voice to Sarkozy's, David Cameron, the British prime minister, says that "the time for action has come".

  Speaking to British television, he said:

  Colonel Gaddafi has made this happen. He has lied to the international community, he has promised a ceasefire, he has broken that ceasefire. He continues to brutalise his own people.

  "And so the time for action has come. It needs to be urgent. We have to enforce the will of the United Nations and we cannot allow the slaughter of civilians to continue.

  What is absolutely clear today is that Colonel Gaddafi has broken his word, has broken the ceasefire and continues to slaughter his own civilians. This has to stop. We have to make it stop, we have to make him face the consequences.

  "I think it is vitally important that action takes place, that action takes place urgently."

• Timestamp: 

  5:25pm

  Here, as promised, is a full transcript of President Sarkozy's comments, made a few minutes ago.

  Together, we have decided to ensure the resolution of the Security Council demanding an immediate ceasefire and the stopping of fighting in Libya. The participants have agreed to apply all means necessary, in particular military ones, to respect the decisions of the UN Security Council.

  "That is why in agreement with our partners, our air forces will fight any aggression on behalf of Colonel Gaddafi against the population of Benghazi. Our planes will prevent aerial attacks on the town. Other French planes are ready to intervene against tanks who would threaten civilian people. 

  "From yesterday, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Arab countries have sent to Colonel Gaddafi and to the troops that he employs the follow warning: in the absence of an immediate ceasefire, and failing a withdrawal of the forces that have attacked the civilian population over the last few weeks, our countries will resort to military action.

  "This warning was repeated by all the participants at the summit that has just concluded. Colonel Gaddafi has disregarded this warning. During the last few hours his troops have intensified their deadly offensive.

  "Arab countries have chosen to free themselves from the slavery in which they felt themselves trapped for too long. These revolutions have created an enormous hope in the heart of all those who share the values of democracy and the rights of man.

  "But it is not without risk. The future of these Arab people belongs to them. In the midst of all the difficulties and challenges that they have been faced with these Arab populations need our help and our support and it is our duty.

  "In Libya, a civilian population which is passive which requires nothing further than the right to choose itself its destiny finds itself in danger of life. We have a duty to respond to its angst-ridden call.

  "The future of Libya belongs to the Libyans. We do not want to take a decision on their behalf. The fight that they are undergoing is their's. If we intervene on the side of Arab nations, it is not to impose on the Libyan people, but to apply to a universal conscience that cannot tolerate such crimes.

  "Today, our intervening in Libya with the mandate of the UNSC, with our partners, namely our Arab partners, we do it to protect the civilian population, and to protect it from the deadly madness of a regime which by assassinating and killing its own people has lost any legitimacy. We intervene to allow the Libya people to choose itself, its destiny.

  "It cannot be prevented from these rights through terror and violence. 

  "There is still time for Colonel Gaddafi to avoid the worst by agreeing unreservedly to all the requirements of the international community.

  "The door of diplomacy will reopen when the fighting will stop. Our determination is total, and I say it with solemnity. Everyone now finds themselves faced with their responsibilities. It is a serious decision that we have been forced to take, together with our Arab partners, our European partners, our North American partners, France has decided to take up its role in front of history."

• Timestamp: 

  5:18pm

  Al Arabiya television reports, citing a witness, that pro-Gaddafi forces have bombarded Az Zintan in western Libya, and tanks are heading to the city.

  The station also reports that Italian planes have begun surveillance missions over Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  4:53pm

  Major points from that Sarkozy speech include a statement that those present at the summit in Paris have agreed to ensure that the UN Security Council resolution is implemented and that an immediate ceasefire is declared.

  He said that the international community has "agreed to apply all means necessary".

  International aircraft will "prevent aerial attacks" on Benghazi and will protect civilians.

  He also said the "door to diplomacy will reopen when the fighting will stop".

  Full transcript to follow.

• Timestamp: 

  4:51pm

  Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has just made a short speech to the press in Paris. Quotes soon.

• Timestamp: 

  4:43pm

  Al Jazeera just received the following email from a member of Libya AlHurra Television, which has been hosting a livestream that Mohammad Nabbous was providing from Benghazi.

   

  I am sorry to inform you that Mohammed Nabbous, the founder of Libya AlHurra TV, was killed this morning while reporting on the attacks from the pro-Gaddafi forces.  He touched the hearts of many with his bravery and indomnitable spirit.  He will be dearly missed and leaves behind his young wife and unborn child.

  [...]

  Mo's objective in founding Libya AlHurra was to help his countrymen by getting the word out about what is happening in Libya.  Please honor this courageous man and help him realize his dream by using his footage in your broadcasts.

  The audio from Nabbous' last report from Benghazi is embedded below.

   

• Timestamp: 

  4:34pm

  Mohammed Nabbous, a pro-democracy opposition activist who Al Jazeera has been in touch with through phone interviews and who has also provided us with footage from Benghazi, has been shot and killed today.

  Nabbous shared video from Libya through his website, here.

• Timestamp: 

  4:32pm

  Al Jazeera is hearing from French journalists that French fighter jets will begin their strike operations by targetting pro-Gaddafi tanks around Benghazi in order to send a message that they are breaking the siege.

   

• Timestamp: 

  4:22pm

  AFP reports that French planes are Rafale fighter jets, flying reconnaissance missions across "all Libyan territory", citing a military source.

  [File image: GALLO/GETTY]

  

   

• Timestamp: 

  4:20pm

  French reconnaissance planes have entered Libyan airspace, several news agencies are now reporting, citing French military sources.

• Timestamp: 

  4:17pm

  French media group BFMTV's website claims that French planes have flown over Benghazi to prevent pro-Gaddafi army movements. 

• Timestamp: 

  4:10pm

  Reuters reports that residents of Misurata are saying that snipers are shooting people in that city from rooftops, and a main hospital says it cannot operate on the wounded because it has run out of anaesthetic.

  Meanwhile, Abdel Fatah Younis, the former interior minister who abandoned Libya's government and who the government claimed today had returned to it, has told Al Jazeera that those government reports are false.

  He said that pictures aired of him meeting Gaddafi on Libyan state television are of a previous meeting, and are not recent.

• Timestamp: 

  4:06pm

  Al Jazeera's James Bays in Benghazi reports that "fresh thuds in the distance and smoke can be seen, so it appears Benghazi is still under attack".

  He reports that the attacks appear to be mortar and artillery fire, but are being heard from "further away from the city ... that might confirm reports that are coming in that Gaddafi's forces are being pushed back".

  Bays reported that opposition fighters have been asking "Where is this no-fly zone?"

  Incidentally, he appeared in shot without his body armour, which he had been wearing earlier, so we can assume that in his assessment (that of a seasoned conflict correspondent, we may add), at least, the danger in Benghazi has lessened since about an hour ago. 

• Timestamp: 

  3:47pm

  Rashid Khalikov, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Libya, tells Al Jazeera that his agency is expecting many more Libyans to flee towards the country's eastern border with Egypt over the coming days.

• Timestamp: 

  3:40pm

  Reuters quotes a Canadian government spokesman as saying that his country backs quick action in Libya, and would need two days to prepare a mission with its fighter jets in the region.

• Timestamp: 

  3:34pm

  Musa Ibrahim, the government's spokesman,  has told the Associated Press that government forces have been abiding by a "ceasefire" but that opposition fighters have been "provoking us".

  Our armed forces continue to retreat and hide, but the rebels keep shelling us and provoking us."

• Timestamp: 

  3:33pm

  The Associated Press reports that people in Benghazi were seen earlier today collecting bottles to make gasoline fire-bombs, while others dragged bed frames and metal scrap to set up roadblocks around the city.

• Timestamp: 

  3:27pm

  Karl Stagno-Navarra, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Malta, reports that the Maltese government has said that any monitoring of a ceasefire in Libya should by carried out "under the auspices of the United Nations".

  Earlier, Tripoli had requested Malta to be part of a group of countries requested to monitor the ceasefire.

• Timestamp: 

  3:23pm

  Opposition fighters in Misurata say they have beaten back an assault by pro-Gaddafi forces, destroying heavy armour but also suffering 27 casualties in the process, AFP reports.

   

• Timestamp: 

  3:12pm

  Six Danish F-16 fighter jets have landed at the US naval air station in Sigonella, Sicily, Lars Skjoldan, a Danish air force spokesman, says. Norway will also be contributing six F-16's to an international military effort in Libya, in line with UN resolution 1973.

  [The image below is of an F-16 fighter jet at an air show in Australia in 2009, courtesy GALLO/GETTY]

  

   

• Timestamp: 

  3:08pm

  Shukri Ghanim, the nead of Libya's national oil company, says the country has been honouring its commitments, but that production has dropped sharply due to foreign workers leaving. 

• Timestamp: 

  3:05pm

  Al Jazeera's James Bays in Benghazi reports that with pro-Gaddafi forces moving ever closer to the city, "the time for [international] action was some hours ago", and that if Gaddafi forces make it to the city, they will be "very difficult" to target. 

• Timestamp: 

  2:52pm

  An opposition spokesman in Benghazi has told Reuters that anti-government troops have "pushed Gaddafi's forces out of Benghazi".

  Nasr al-Kikili, a lawyer who works for the opposition's media centre in the city, said:

  We revolutionaries have taken control of four tanks inside Benghazi. Rebel forces have pushed Gaddafi's forces out of Benghazi and are combing the western gate area for Gaddafi's troops."

• Timestamp: 

  2:46pm

  The Libyan government in Tripoli has once again asked the international community to monitor a ceasefire in the country. Moussa Khoussa, the country's foreign minister, says that his government has requested Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, to send international observers. 

  We announced a ceasefire, which is proof that Libya has responded positively to the decisions of the United Nations.

  "And to prove our credibility, we have asked the secretary general of the United Nations to send international observers.

   "We also underlined our commitment to respect UN (Security Council) Resolution 1973 in messages to the secretary general and to the members of the Security Council.

  "Thus, Libya has fulfilled all of its obligations to the international community."

• Timestamp: 

  2:00pm

  Jordan, Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are the Arab nations attending Saturday's summit in Paris on action in Libya, a diplomat told AFP.

  Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari will also attend in his capacity as current head of the Arab League. The League's Secretary General Amr Moussa will also take part.

• Timestamp: 

  1:36pm

  Snipers loyal to Gaddafi have killed two people in Misurata, a resident told Reuters. \

  "We have two people dead this morning ... because there are snipers on some houses and they are shooting people, they are shooting whoever they see," the resident, called Saadoun, told Reuters by telephone.

• Timestamp: 

  1:23am

  The head of the Libyan National Council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, just denied Libyan state TV reports that defected interior Minister Abdel Fatah Younis has defected the rebels and joined Gaddafi forces again.

  It seems that there is a media war going on between Gaddafi and rebels.

• Timestamp: 

  1:15pm

  Libyan state TV says that interior minister Abdel Fatah Yunes, who defected to the rebels at the beginning of March, had returned to the Gaddafi camp and to his old job.

• Timestamp: 

  1:08pm

  Libyan forces loyal to Gaddafi fired artillery shells into the rebel-held city of Misurata and water supplies were still cut off, a resident said.

  "They (Gaddafi's forces) bombed the town with four or five artillery shells in the early hours today. The situation is relatively calm now. But they are still on the outskirts of the town, and water to Misrata is still cut off," the resident, called Mohammed, told Reuters by telephone from the city.

  Libyan government officials deny attacking rebels and say they are observing a ceasefire.

  Reports from Misrata could not be verified independently because authorities in Tripoli have prevented journalists from reaching the city.

• Timestamp: 

  1:00pm

  Libya's government announced an immediate ceasefire on Friday, but government forces were said to have entered the western edge of the city on Saturday. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports.

• Timestamp: 

  12:18am

  Here is revised text of the speeches that Gaddafi's spokesman read out:

  The first letter to brother leader to Barack Obama:

  "To our son, his excellency, Mr Baracka Hussein Obama. I have said to you before, that even if Libya and the United States of America enter into a war, god forbid, you will always remain a son. Your picture will not be changed. I want you to remain in the same image. I have all the people of Libya with me, and I'm prepared to die and we have all the men, children and women with me. Nothing more. Al Qaeda is an armed organisation, passing through Algeria, Mauritania and Mali. What would you do if you found them controlling American cities with the power of weapons? What would you do, so I can follow your example."

  Letter to Ban Ki Moon, Sarkozy and Cameron:

  "Libya is not yours, Libya is for the Libyans. The security council, their resolution is void because it is not according to the charter to interfere with the internal affairs of the country. … You have no right. You will regret if you get involved in this, our country. We can never shoot a single bullet on our people, it is Al Qaeda organisation."

• Timestamp: 

  12:14pm

  A spokesman for the rebel National Libyan Council reported a bombardment on the western town of Zintan by Gaddafi forces and said five shells had fallen on the outskirts.

  The spokesman, who was named only as Adel, was speaking to Al Arabiya television.

• Timestamp: 

  12:03pm

  Gaddafi spokesman reads out letter to president Obama:

  To Baracka Hussein Obama... I have all the Libyan people supporting me and they are prepared to die for me... I am facing al Qaeda here - what would you do?

  The second letter is to Ban Ki-Moon, president Sarkozy of France and the UK's David Cameron:

  Libya is not yours.. You have no right to intervene into our internal affairs. This is our country, it is not your country. We can never shoot a single bullet onto our people...

  He also warns the world leaders of retaliation if they persist.

• Timestamp: 

  11:49am

  Abdul Jalil, head of National Libyan Council, also said:

  Now there is a bombardment by artillery and rockets on all districts of Benghazi

  The international community is late in intervening to save civilians from Gaddafi's forces. Today in Benghazi there will be a catastrophe if the international community does not implement the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council.

  We appeal to the international community, to the all the free world, to stop this tyranny from exterminating civilians.

• Timestamp: 

  11:26am

  Abdul Jalil also tells us that Benghazi hospitals are now being flooded with victims. He says that the pro-democracy fighters do not have enough weapons and numbers to confront Gaddafi:

  "We only have light arms - Gaddafi seems to have new and powerful weapons."

• Timestamp: 

  11:11am

  Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the head of the Libyan Interim Council, tells Al Jazeera that residential areas in Benghazi are under attack by artillery and tanks. He also said that the plane shot down belongs to the rebels.
• Timestamp: 

  10:55am

  Al Jazeera's James Bays reporting live from Benghazi:

  We are still hearing gunfire in the distance - I heard an explosion just moments ago from that direction...

  We have seen anti-aircraft guns going along the road in that direction, we have also seen ambulances and medical staff making their way in that direction in the last half hour or so...

• Timestamp: 

  10:49am

  Blake Hounshell, Managing Editor of Foreign Policy magazine, sent us this footage from today's attack on Benghazi:

• Timestamp: 

  10:45am

  The Security Council "has acted responsibly to protect and save the lives of defenceless civilians who are faced with brutal acts of violence carried out by the Libyan authorities," the South African foreign ministry says.

  The decision "constitutes an important element for the protection of civilians and the safety of the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those most vulnerable and those desperately in need of such assistance," it said in a statement.

• Timestamp: 

  10:30am

  The international community must act fast over the situation in Libya, a French government source says.

  "Everything is ready (to act) but the decision is now a political one. It's clear we have to move quickly," the source said, hours before France was due to host an international meeting to discuss military intervention.

• Timestamp: 

  10:28am

  Pro-democracy fighters have erected concrete barricades on the roads leading to the courthouse building where the rebel National Libyan Council has its base.

  Khalid al-Sayeh, a rebel military spokesman, told Reuters:

  They have entered Benghazi from the west. Where are the Western powers? They said they could strike within hours.

• Timestamp: 

  10:23am

  Al Jazeera shows pictures of the fighter jet as it was shot down:

  

• Timestamp: 

  10:09am

  Picture of the Al Jazeera vehicle that was hit in Benghazi:

  

• Timestamp: 

  10:04am

  Artillery shells being shot into Benghazi from about 20km away, Al Jazeera's Tony Birtely reports.

• Timestamp: 

  9:54am

  Libya's government says that its armed forces are under attack west of the rebel-held stronghold of Benghazi and have responded in self-defence.

  This was issued in a statement carried by the official Jana news agency:

  The gangs of Al-Qaeda attacked the units of the Libyan armed forces stationed to the west of Benghazi.

  The statement accused the rebels of using "a helicopter and a fighter jet to bomb the Libyan armed forces in blatant violation of the no-fly zone imposed by the UN Security Council."

• Timestamp: 

  9:36am

  Al Jazeera reporters in Benghazi say that their vehicle has been hit by a mortar round - the vehicle was not occupied at the time. Also reports of artillery attacks on Gamal Abdel Nasser street in central Benghazi.

• Timestamp: 

  9:14am

  Al Jazeera's Tony Birtely says that a plane has been shot down in Benghazi. More details to follow.
• Timestamp: 

  9:01am

  Reports from Al Jazeera reporter in Benghazi that pro-Gaddafi forces have entered the suburbs of the city.

• Timestamp: 

  8:51am

  Al Jazeera reporter in Benghazi says some shelling happening now, with a jet just crossing over the town. Reports of some people being injured in the bombing, possibly some deaths.

• Timestamp: 

  7:29am

  "The explosions started about 2 a.m. Gaddafi's forces are advancing, we hear they're 20kms from Benghazi," Faraj Ali, a local resident, said. 

  "It's land-based fire. We saw one aircraft," he added. 

• Timestamp: 

  6:49am

  Large explosions were heard in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, the rebel stronghold, early on Saturday, a Reuters witness said.

  A fighter jet could be heard over the city, the witness said, adding that the explosions were strong enough to shake a building.

• Timestamp: 

  3:05am

  Speaking after the response by Moussa Koussa, Libya's foreign minister, on Friday, Gaddafi said there was no justification for the UN resolution aimed at ending violence in Libya.

  This is blatant colonialism. It does not have any justification. This will have serious consequences on the Mediterranean and on Europe.

  In 2011 they are colonising us, massacring us, and imposing one no-fly zone after the other and one military attack after another. What is this racism? What is this hatred?

• Timestamp: 

  1:48am

  Gerard Araud, the French envoy to the UN, said he expects military intervention in Libya within hours of a Paris summit on Saturday.

• Timestamp: 

  12:40am

  Rebels in Benghazi braced amid rumours that pro-Gaddafi forces were within striking distance of the city and planning an evening assault. Hundreds of men, some on pick-up trucks mounted with machine-guns, flooded out of the city in response to a call from the rebel-run radio to man their posts.

• Timestamp: 

  12:33am

  A US national security official on Friday said forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, continued to advance towards the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi despite the ceasefire proclamation.

• Timestamp: 

  12:01am

  Welcome to Al Jazeera's live blog for March 19, covering unfolding events in Libya and providing you with up-to-the-minute updates. To catch up on everything that's happened over the last 24 hours, why not check out yesterday's live blog, or our news story, which wraps up developments?