Libya Live Blog - March 17

Libya Live Blog - March 17

• Timestamp: 

  10:51pm

  The head of the Benghazi-based Libyan National Council says that the opposition's fighters will "stand firm" and not be deterred by Gaddafi's threats, Reuters reports.

• Timestamp: 

  10:41pm

  Gaddafi did an interview with RTP, a Portuguese television station, this evening. In it, he said:

  The Security Council has not got the right to interfere in the internal affairs of any state. It would be a flagrant colonisation, without any justification. A serious and grave [inaudible]. This is craziness, madness, arrogance. If the world gets crazy with us, we will get crazy too..."

  Asked what he means by 'get crazy', Gaddafi said:

  We will respond. We will make their lives hell, because they are making our lives hell. They will never have peace."

• Timestamp: 

  10:27pm

  Francois Fillon, the French prime minister, has added his voice to French chorus asserting that his government wishes to see immediate military action of the UN Security Council adopts a resolution on Libya. 

• Timestamp: 

  10:23pm

  A Libyan government spokesman says that any UN action against Libya would be "illegal and immoral". Mussa Ibrahim, the spokesman, said:

  That would be illegal and immoral. It's an armed rebellion. Any country would've fought against that. They are basing their decision on media reports.

  "This should not happen. It would harm the Libyan people. It would only strengthen our internal position because Libyans will have an external enemy and act as one."

• Timestamp: 

  10:15pm

  AFP has released some excerpts from the draft UN resolution. They are reproduced below. The resolution:

  Demands the immediate establishment of a ceasefire and a complete end to violence and all attacks against, and abuses of, civilians;

  "Stresses the need to intensify efforts to find a solution to the crisis which responds to the legitimate demands of the Libyan people and notes the decisions of the Secretary-General to send his Special Envoy to Libya and of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union to send its ad hoc High Level Committee to Libya with the aim of facilitating dialogue to lead to the political reforms necessary to find a peaceful and sustainable solution;

   "Demands that the Libyan authorities comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, human rights and refugee law and take all measures to protect civilians and meet their basic needs, and to ensure the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance;

  "Authorises member states ... to take all necessary measures ... to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign
  occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory...;

  "Decides to establish a ban on all flights in the airspace of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in order to help protect civilians;

  "Calls upon all member states, acting nationally or through regional organisations or arrangements, to provide assistance, including any necessary over-flight approvals, for the purposes of implementing" the no-fly zone.

  "Calls upon all member states, in particular states of the region, acting nationally or through regional organisations or arrangements, in order to ensure strict implementation of the arms embargo established (by Resolution 1970) to inspect in their territory, including seaports and airports, and on the high seas, vessels and aircraft bound to or from the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya...

  "Deplores the continuing flows of mercenaries into the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and calls upon all member states to comply strictly with their obligations under (Resolution 1970) to prevent the supply of armed mercenary personnel to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya;

  "Decides that all states shall deny permission to any aircraft registered in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya or owned or operated by Libyan nationals or companies to take off from, land in or overfly their territory
  unless the particular flight has been approved in advance by the Committee, or in the case of an emergency landing;

  "Decides that all States shall deny permission to any aircraft to take off from, land in or overfly their territory, if they have information that provides reasonable grounds to believe that the aircraft contains items the
  supply, sale, transfer, or export of which is prohibited ... including the provision of armed mercenary personnel, except in the case of an emergency landing;

  "Decides that the asset freeze imposed by (Resolution 1970) shall apply to all funds, other financial assets and economic resources which are on their territories, which are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the Libyan authorities ... or by individuals or entities acting on their behalf or at their direction...

  "Affirms its determination to ensure that assets frozen pursuant to (Resolution 1970) shall, at a later stage, as soon as possible be made available to and for the benefit of the people of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya."

• Timestamp: 

  9:47pm

  AFP now quotes Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, as saying that military strikes could quickly follow after a UN security council resolution on Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  9:39pm

  Citing sources in the French government, AFP reports that air raids on Libyan army positions could begin as soon as the UN Security Council approves the use of force in Libya.

  "From the moment the resolution is adopted, military actions could begin in the hours that follow," a diplomatic source said.

• Timestamp: 

  9:35pm

  The Associated Press reports that the closest known position of pro-Gaddafi ground forces to Benghazi is about 130km to the south.

• Timestamp: 

  9:26pm

  Here's a screen grab from our live feed from Benghazi, where residents were both angry, but also in a celebratory mood, during and after Gaddafi's speech.

  

• Timestamp: 

  9:17pm

  Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, says that this speech will likely affect the deliberations at the United Nations, emphasising the urgency that is required regarding action to safeguard civilians.

  He also opines that this will be seen as an "act of desperation".

• Timestamp: 

  9:10pm

  Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley in Benghazi says that he travelled as far as 50km outside of Benghazi a few hours ago, and saw no evidence of any pro-Gaddafi forces approaching the city.

  Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught in Tripoli reports that just a little while before his radio address to Benghazi, Gaddafi had spoken to Lebanese television saying that he would not be launching any military operation on Benghazi in the immediate term.

  She also reports that "it's impossible to know how many people really love him ... and how many people don't want him at all" because security forces control the capital.

• Timestamp: 

  9:07pm

  Quite clear from that speech that Gaddafi says he intends to launch an operation on Benghazi tonight, and he would like the city taken by tomorrow. It is not immediately clear if this rhetoric, or if residents of the city are preparing for a possible assault.

• Timestamp: 

  9:02pm

  Those quotes below, of course, are from Muammar Gaddafi's speech to the residents of Benghazi. Meanwhile, live pictures from Benghazi show massive crowds of people, chanting angry slogans in opposition to him.

  Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, says that there is a striking similarity between the statements made by Gaddafi and those made by Hosni Mubarak, the former Egyptian president, before he stepped down from power.

• Timestamp: 

  9:01pm

  They are finished, they are wiped out. From tomorrow you will only find our people. You all go out and cleanse the city of Benghazi. A small problem that has become an international issue. And they are voting on it tonight ... because they are determined. As I have said, we are determined. We will track them down, and search for them, alley by alley, road by road, the Libyan people all of them together will be crawling out. Massive waves of people will be crawling out to rescue the people of Benghazi, who are calling out for help, asking us to rescue them. We should come to their rescue.

  "And I, Muammar Gaddafi, I will die for my people. With Allah's help.

  "No more fear, no more hesitation, we are no longer reluctant. The moment of truth has come. If you see the cars with loudspeakers, destroy them, destroy their communications points that are spreading lies to you. Our children are the one's who have destroyed these planes.

  "Just like Franco in Spain, who rolled into Madrid with external support. And they asked how did you manage to liberate Madrid? He said: 'There was a fifth column, the people of the city.' You are the fifth column within the city. This is the day on which we should liberate the city. We've been looking forward to that day. And tomorrow we will communicate again, and our cause will continue towards the south.

  "With our bare chests and heads we were confronting the dangers, facing the challenge, we did not initiate this violence, they started it. Of course, these words will have an impact on the traitors and infidels. Tonight they will panic and they will collapse.

  "You are capable of doing it. You are capable of achieving this. Let's set our women and daughters free from those traitors.

  "God is great."

• Timestamp: 

  8:46pm

  "Throw away your arms and find a way out of the city, and then you are saved. Those young men who have been taken advantage of - those infidels who are attempting to burn down our country to the ground, we should have no mercy on them. Those are the traitors, used and abused by those infidels from Qatar, unfortunately, Kuwait and other countries. How stupid can you become to be taken advantage of to that extent in Benghazi? Now you're hungry and thirsty - we don't have a natural disaster like the one that happened in Japan recently ... but those infidels and traitors we promise to deal with. But the peaceful individuals of our people ... should put down their weapons, there is no danger. They should not feel unsafe. There is not a single officer in Benghazi who did not call us, who have been warning us that they have been threatened by people like Zarkawi of being slaughtered.

  "Those who have been forced to follow those infidels ... those also will be forgiven, granted amnesty, those are my children, and we should not leave those children to distort the image of our country after such a bright history. You have been forced. 

  One of the companions of the prophets who was tortured who was forced to say he did not believe in the Prophet Muhammad, and he could not face the Prophet afterwards. And the Prophet said don't worry, God has forgiven you. Except those who were forced to utter things against their hearts. Even those of you who were forced to say things against myself, you are my children, and those in the special forces, the free officers of this country, you have sworn to defend the revolution of September. To fight the enemies. We are coming your rescue. And we will turn the sad situation into celebrations. We will wipe out this black page of our history.

  "To all those honest, brave officers, members of the revolutionary committees, university students, and female revolutionary committees, get ready to rebel against those traitors. The world has to see this tomorrow... that Benghazi is not a city of traitors.

  "Benghazi, I have liberated it myself earlier with my gun.

  "Those, the people who we have seen from one of the city to the other. Destroy any fortified points that you can get to, and if they run away, you take their weapons and you can occupy them.

  "The Jawazi tribes, those are brave tribes, we have been proud of. They have an honourable history before the whole world. Let the world witness one more good deed.

  "From tonight, those who decide to flee, you take their weapons, and you keep them safe.

  "Is it possible that each plane that flies crashes? Is that real? Can that happen?

  "There is a cemetary that has been bombed. Is that possible? How can you bomb a cemetary? You are bombing dead people. Your grandparents are buried there. ...

  "These planes are supposed to be liberating Palestine, or confronting imperialism. Is it possible that our planes are fighting each other? Is it real?

  "All people should surround the traitors, to tell them that there is no way out.

  "What indicates to us about this current enemy, where are they, where are they hiding, in what room? They are cheating you to tell you that a plane has been able to hit Bab Al-Aziziya, where I live. It has been the centre of celebrations."

• Timestamp: 

  8:43pm

  Gaddafi says he has received thousands of phone calls from families in Benghazi, asking to be rescued.

  He alleges that "they" want to make Libya "like Somalia", adding that Libya is a rich country, but the flow of oil has been stopped.

  He has accused Qatar of fueling unrest in the country, and wanting Libya to "surrender it's dignity" to Qatar.

  Gaddafi has also offered "amnesty" to "those who put down their weapons", adding that people who are fighting have been "fooled".

  He said that fighters should put down their weapons and they would be safe - if they did not, they would be treated as "enemies".

• Timestamp: 

  8:41pm

  Gaddafi says that those fighting in Benghazi are criminals who have been released from prison - that they are "drug addicts" and "murderers" who have been released and handed weapons to fight.

• Timestamp: 

  8:40pm

  Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is addressing residents of Benghazi via radio and television now.

• Timestamp: 

  8:24pm

  More on that Gaddafi address: state television reports that his comments will be broadcast on both radio and television.

• Timestamp: 

  8:23pm

  Wondering what the complexities involved in setting up a no-fly zone are? Wonder no longer - Al Jazeera's Jacqueline Head has prepared a handy guide.

• Timestamp: 

  8:22pm

  Andreas Oess, of Swiss Humanitarian Aid, says that if Benghazi were to fall, about 40,000-100,000 people would be expected to flood towards the border with Egypt. 

  "We are not ready" for those kinds of numbers, he said.

• Timestamp: 

  8:05pm

  Diplomats have told Al Jazeera that there has been agreement over most of the draft resolution, but there is still concern over one paragraph, reproduced below, which deals with taking "all necessary measures" to protect Libyan civilians, short of an "occupation force".

  Authorises member states that have notified the Secretary-General and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, acting nationally or through regional organisations or arrangements, and acting in cooperation with the S-G, to take all necessary measures, notwithstanding paragraph 9 of Resolution 1970, to protect cilivians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamarhiya, including Benghazi, while excluding an occupation force and requests the member states concerned to inform the S-G immediately of the measures they take pursuant to the authorisation conferred by this paragraph which shall immediately reported to the security council.

   

• Timestamp: 

  8:03pm

  AFP reports that Muammar Gaddafi is to address the people of Benghazi, according to state television.

• Timestamp: 

  8:01pm

  Jay Carney, the White House spokesperson, says the US is acting with "urgency" on the situation in Libya.

  We are very concerned about the situation in Libya and the violence that is being perpetrated by the Gaddafi regime against its people. We are acting with a great sense of urgency together with our international partners to take the kinds of actions that we believe will protect Libyan citizens and move towards a
  situation where Gaddafi is no longer in power."

• Timestamp: 

  7:51pm

  The UN Security Council session has been adjourned until 2200GMT, when ambassadors will go straight into a vote, Benedict Moran, an Al Jazeera producer in New York, reports.

• Timestamp: 

  7:21pm

  The official Jana news agency reports that Libya is warning it could target air and sea traffic in the Mediterranean if a foreign military intervention is staged.

  Meanwhile, Russia says that it still has unanswered questions regarding the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya.

  "What type of control mechanisms ... does it have? Who will be implementing it, by what means, in what format?," foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich demanded.

   

   

• Timestamp: 

  7:11pm

  Mark Lyall Grant, the UK's ambassador to the United Nations, says that the UN Security Council has scheduled a vote on a resolution for 2200GMT (6pm local time in New York), Reuters reports.

• Timestamp: 

  7:09pm

  A UN draft resolution to be discussed in New York today by the UN Security Council must authorise action against Libya, "including a no-fly zone", Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, says.

  Our goal in the Security Council today is to convince the Security Council  to authorise more actions, including a no-fly zone, but other actions as well, and then to see how many countries are willing to actually do what the Security Council has authorised us to do."

• Timestamp: 

  7:05pm

  Muammar Gaddafi is likely to "cause trouble" for neighbouring countries if he is allowed to stay in power, Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, says. During a televised question & answer program with Tunisians, she said:

  Tunisia knows very well that if Gaddafi does not go, he will most likely cause trouble for you, for Egypt and for
  everybody else. That is just his nature. You know, there are some creatures that are like that."

• Timestamp: 

  6:37pm

  At least two Arab states have said they will participate in a no-fly zone over Libya, the Arab League says.

  Yahya Mahmassani, the bloc's envoy to the United Nations, said that the United Arab Emirates and Qatar "may be" among those participating.

• Timestamp: 

  6:25pm

  The United States has joined France, Britain and Lebanon in pressing for timely approval of the UN Security Council's draft resolution on intervention in Libya, and it appears that the United States is now pushing for additional measures to a no-fly zone to be adopted, including possible strikes against ground and sea targets to protect civilians.

  This would be a change in the policy the US has been adopting so far, when it has urged caution in even advocating a no-fly zone.

• Timestamp: 

  6:21pm

  Egypt says that it will not intervene militarily in Libya. Responding to Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state's, comments earlier about possible "Arab involvement" in military action, Menha Bakhoum, an Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters:

  Egypt will not be among those Arab states. We will not be involved in any military intervention. No intervention, period."

• Timestamp: 

  6:16pm

  The Pentagon has voiced "concern about conducting military operations inside Libya".

  "It would be logical if one of [US Defence Secretary Robert Gates'] concerns about a no-fly zone is the element of attacking Libyan air defenses, then an option of air strikes would be pretty similar," Colonel David Lapan, a spokesman, said, adding that there was concern regarding the conduct of such operations.

• Timestamp: 

  5:44pm

  Consultations on the draft UN Security Council resolution in New York have just begun. 

• Timestamp: 

  5:38pm

  US State department official William Burns says the opposition Libyan National Council may set up an office in Washington DC, the American capital.

• Timestamp: 

  5:34pm

  New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch warns of "atrocities" if Benghazi is taken by forces loyal to Gaddafi.

  Fred Abrahams, a special advisor to the group, says:

  Our main concern is the extreme violence and potential for retribution by Gaddafi's forces if he succeeds in retaking the area. This is a clarion call given the potential for very grave and very widespread abuses if he retakes Benghazi.

  "He [Gaddafi] won't hesitate to use violence against this rebellious city ... we're simply saying that Benghazi and the eastern cities face the risk of serious violations, perhaps even atrocities.

  "We know that the rebels in Benghazi are better armed and more professional, not like the other young men who ran to the front. We know the people who started this will stay until the end, but people are deeply afraid. They know Gaddafi and they know this kind of rebellion can only end in victory or defeat."

  Donatella Rovera, an Amnesty International research in Tobruk, says that is been impossible to contact residents of Ajdabiyah, the site of fierce clashes, on Thursday.

  I've talked to people who have recently left Ajdabiyah and who say that the situation there is extremely tense. They are scared, there were hits around the town."

• Timestamp: 

  5:32pm

  The possible direct involvement of Arab nations in any international military intervention in Libya is currently being discussed, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, says during a press conference in the Tunisian capital, Tunis. 

• Timestamp: 

  5:29pm

  Opposition fighters in Benghazi say they have shot down two warplanes piloted by officers loyal to Gaddafi. Essam Gheirani, a spokesperson, said that one was shot down near Benina airport, and the other in the Buatani area, on the outskirts of the city.

  Earlier in the day, Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reported that he went to the area where opposition fighters said they had shot down one of the planes, and could find no trace of it.

• Timestamp: 

  5:23pm

  Al Jazeera's Scott Heidler in New York reports that the United Nations Security Council is still discussing developments in Afghanistan, with deputy ambassadors present. The formal, closed-door consultations on Libya have not yet begun.

• Timestamp: 

  5:18pm

  You can watch that ongoing hearing with William Burns, the US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, live here.

• Timestamp: 

  5:15pm

  A high-level panel of the African Union is due to hold a meeting on Saturday in, Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital, to discuss development in Libya. The five-member heads of state committee of the AU will "determine the modalities of the implementation of its mandate", according to an AU statement. 

• Timestamp: 

  5:11pm

  More from that continuing statement from US Undersecretary of State William Burns. He says that there is a "danger of [Gaddafi] returning to terrorism and violent extremism" if he suceeds in his battle against opposition forces.

• Timestamp: 

  5:06pm

  General Norton Schwartz, the chief of the US air force, says that imposing a no-fly zone over Libya would "not be sufficient" to reverse the advance of Muammar Gaddafi's forces on opposition strongholds.

  Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee, he said that it could take "upwards of a week" to set up a no-fly zone.

  He said that if the US were to get involved in international efforts to set up the no-fly zone, aircraft based in Europe and in the United States would be use, but some resources currently being used in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq would also be used. 

• Timestamp: 

  5:02pm

  Reuters reports that France wants the UN Security Council to vote on a resolution authorising a no-fly zone, according to Gerard Araud, the French ambassador to the UN.

  I would say that we are asking for a vote at 6:00pm [2200 GMT]. You know the United Nations, it can drift but we are going to ask for a vote at 6:00pm."

  Members of China's delegation to the UN have told Al Jazeera that they, too, will be looking for consensus to be reached today, though they did not say if they would now be back the imposition of a no-fly zone, a step they had expressed concern over earlier.

   

• Timestamp: 

  5:00pm

  Opposition fighters in the western city of Zintan (120km southwest of Tripoli) say they are bracing for an attack by forces loyal to Gaddafi. 

  A witness told AFP:

  According to the fighters, forces loyal to Kadhafi are trying to encircle Zintan. There are troop movements around the north and southwest. They expect a big attack on the city. I heard no gunfire this morning. They say they blocked the main column [of tanks] during the night. 

  "Yesterday there was major fighting about 20 kilometres southwest of  Zintan. It lasted a good part of the night. According to fighters, there were very heavy weapons." 

• Timestamp: 

  4:50pm

  Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister, has proposed a strengthening of sanctions on Libya, while US Undersecretary of State Burns says that the US wants "an active Arab partnership" regarding further steps in Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  4:48pm

  William Burns, the US Undersecretary of State has warned that Muammar Gaddafi's forces are making "significant" gains. He was speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

  Gaddafi's forces have made significant strides o the ground. I believe they are only about 160km from Benghazi right now." 

• Timestamp: 

  4:31pm

  William Hague, the UK's foreign minister, says that the United States proposed a strengthening of the UN security council resolution during deliberations yesterday.

  Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, says that a no-fly zone is one of a "range of actions", but that it has "inherent limitations in terms of protection of civilians at immediate risk".

• Timestamp: 

  4:30pm

  NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen says that the military alliance is not seeking to "intervene in Libya", but wishes to be prepared if action is needed. 

• Timestamp: 

  4:28pm

  More on that statement regarding a possible ceasefire. The Jana state news agency says:

  The provisional general committee [ministry] of defence has decided to halt military operations against the armed terrorist bands from midnight on Sunday [2200 GMT] ... to give a chance to lay down their arms and benefit from a general amnesty."

• Timestamp: 

  4:27pm

  Residential areas in Ajdabiyah are coming under continued heavy aerial bombardment, Reuters reports, citing witnesses speaking to satellite television networks.

• Timestamp: 

  4:22pm

  Al Jazeera's James Bays in Tobruk has the latest:

  No-one really knows which way Gaddafi's forces will go next. Ajdabiyah still has fighting taking place around it. We know that there's fighting in terms of air strikes now on Benghazi ... that suggests that Gaddafi's forces are going to make their way along the coast. But they have another option, there is a road that goes straight from Ajdabiyah right here to Tobruk. It is, if you drive it, about 4 hours of desert road, no towns along it at all, so no really early warning for the opposition if Gaddafi's forces take that road. 

  "It's a road or a route ... that's certainly been used in history. In the second World War, that's where Rommel's Panzer tanks came along. So I think it is a possibility that he may try to cut off all of the rebel-held towns along the coast line. The main reason for doing that ... here in Tobruk, we're very close to the Egyptian border, and I think Gaddafi would like nothing better than to close that border, because that closes the supply line to the opposition forces. 

  Asked how Gaddafi has managed to make gains so far, Bays said:

  Well, what's he's done with most of these towns and places that he's gone through, is that he's basically frightened the people into submission. He's gone to a place like Ajdabiyah and he's used bombardment at the edge of the town, and then frightened the people into submission in places like Brega and then moved on to the next place. 

  "Will he do that in Benghazi? Already the air strikes have started around Benghazi, and I can tell you that both here and in Benghazi, the opposition politicians are very upbeat, the opposition military commanders, they say that the big cities are different and they'll fight him off."

• Timestamp: 

  4:17pm

  AFP, quoting the state news agency Jana, says that the Libyan army will halt military operations from Sunday in order to give opposition fighters a chance to lay down their arms and benefit from an amnesty.

  More on this report as and when it comes through.

• Timestamp: 

  4:00pm

  That statement from NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen:

  It is absolutely outrageous to see the Libyan regime systematically attack its own civilian population. These acts may amount to crimes against humanity." 

• Timestamp: 

  3:53pm

  The attacks by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi on civilians may be "crimes against humanity", NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen says, according to the AFP news agency.

• Timestamp: 

  3:51pm

  More on the airstrikes in Benghazi, from an opposition spokesman.

  We have no evidence that any of the strikes caused any damage. It seems to us like a warning, a challenge to the international community."

  He said one of the raids struck near Benina airport, but that airport officials told him no damage had been incurred. Another strike hti Buatani, to the city's east, and a third in the northwest. The fourth target was near the town of Qaminis, about 50km south of the city.

• Timestamp: 

  3:49pm

  A government spokesman says that Libyan military operations in Misurata will be completed by tomorrow.

  Mussa Ibrahim, the spokesman, said:

  It's almost entirely under control. This is the final stage. It should be over by tomorrow morning."

• Timestamp: 

  3:48pm

  Muammar Gaddafi says that his forces are set to regain control over the opposition-held towns of Misurata and Benghazi, Al Arabiya television reports.

  Gaddafi said that the battle for Misurata will be decided today, while Benghazi would fall without fighting, the satellite television channel says.

• Timestamp: 

  3:45pm

  The statement from NATO chief Rasmussen:

  Time is of the essence, time is rapidly running out, but I don't think it's too late. Very much will depend on the UN Security Council decision. 

  "I can imagine the international community and the United Nations standing strongly together behind the Libyan people if the weakened regime continues to attack its own people."

• Timestamp: 

  3:44pm

  Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO's secretary-general, has warned that the UN Security Council must act quickly to agree a resolution on Libya, as "time is running out" to stop Muammar Gaddafi from prevailing over opposition fighters.

• Timestamp: 

  3:42pm

  Essam Gheriani, a spokesman for pro-democracy fighters in Benghazi, says Gaddafi's troops are "no where near Benghazi". He says that pro-Gaddafi troops have approached the oil town of Zueitina, but that they "have been surrounded by the revolutionary forces and are being dealt with".

• Timestamp: 

  3:33pm

  Al Jazeera's James Bays reports with the latest from the eastern rebel-held town of Tobruk:

  There have been fresh air strikes we understand in the last few minutes in Benghazi. One of those airstrikes, another one, taking place on the main airport there. And we're hearing this time from our team that were there ... that there have been casualties this time.

  "The opposition are claiming that they've made some successes as well, they're claiming that they've shot down a MiG aircraft. I have to say that our correspondent Tony Birtley has been to the scene where this MiG aircraft is supposed to have been shot down, and he can find no sign of it at all."

  Asked about the situation in Tobruk, he said:

  It is a long way away, but I think they are still concerned, and they're concerned because Gaddafi's forces in the last few days have been pounding Ajdabiyah. Now that is the gateway to Benghazi, but it's also the gateway to Tobruk, because there's another road that goes through the desert that goes ... to here. And there is some suggestion that possibly one of the things that Gaddafi might consider is to try and seal off the whole of this peninsula by taking that road. Not actually going into Benghazi, but sealing off Benghazi and the other cities along the coast and possibly even closing the border.

  "I spoke a short time ago to a Major-General who has come back from the front line, and he says that ... they are prepared in Benghazi, but they're also prepared here, because they know that that is one possible option of Gaddafi to send forces this way and then to try and encircle all of the rebel troops.

  "There's a very defiant mood here, and a lot of support for those opposed to Gaddafi. But you go out on the streets, you go to the edge of town ... and really no evidence of any defences at all that I could see, right at the edge of the town in the last few hours, we went out there to the airport, which is on the very edge of the town, that's the way Gaddafi's forces would come if they came all the way to Tobruk. And there were just a few fighters, one of them couldn't have been more than about 12 years old ... so not strong defences.

  "And I can tell you that when you speak to the people here, they say they're winning, they say they're beating back Gaddafi. Then you ask them the question should the international community do more, and they say 'Yes, we're all going to die if they don't help'. So very contradictory answers to those questions. 

   

   

• Timestamp: 

  3:19pm

  Al Jazeera's James Bays in Tobruk reports that fresh air strikes have taken place in Benghazi in the last few minutes, with the airport being targetted in one of the attacks. Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley in Benghazi says that there have been casualties, though the exact numbers are unclear at this early stage.

• Timestamp: 

  3:02pm

  William Hague, the UK's foreign minister, says there is now nothing holding the US back on supporting calls for a no-fly zone over Libya, Reuters reports.

• Timestamp: 

  3:00pm

  Aid agencies say that there are more Libyan families fleeing the country's east into Egypt than before, but that there is still not a major outflow.

  Sybella Wilkes, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told Reuters:

  We're seeing higher numbers of Libyans going out. Some are leaving Benghazi saying they fear it might be bombed and the road to the border might be blocked." 

  Marcal Izard, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said there is "no major movement of displaced" people towards the border.

• Timestamp: 

  2:43pm

  Libyan state television reports that forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have recaptured Zueitina, a major oil terminal, and are advancing towards the outskirts of Benghazi.

  There is no immediate confirmation of this report.

• Timestamp: 

  2:41pm

  Residents of the western town of Misurata say they are preparing for a new attack by pro-Gaddafi forces.

  Saadoun, a Misurata resident, told the Reuters news agency:

  There were two more rounds of shelling last night. But things are quiet so far. We are hearing that tanks are moving ... We believe they will attack the city again. We are not sure if they will do it right now or if they will wait for more reinforcement from Tripoli, especially after their defeat yesterday."

• Timestamp: 

  2:11pm

  A senior hospital official told The Associated Press that 30 people have been killed since Tuesday night in fighting for the gateway to rebel-held territory. 
  
  Libya's opposition battled to keep Gaddafi's forces at the city of Ajdabiya on Thursday, hoping for help from the UN Security Council before his tanks and troops break through. 
  
  The official said at least 80 were hurt and hospitalised and many more of the wounded could not reach the hospital. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of official retaliation. 
  
  Gaddafi's rapid advance on the rebels appears to have spurred the United States to leave behind weeks of doubts about a no-fly zone in Libya, and start pushing for broader UN authorisation for international air, sea and land forces.
• Timestamp: 

  1:40pm

  Libyan state television said on Thursday that forces loyal to Gaddafi had recaptured the western city of Misurata, but residents and rebels in the city denied the report.

      

  State television said the armed forces had retaken control of Misurata and it was now being "sterilised from those criminal armed gangs". 
  
  But three residents told the Reuters news agency the rebels still controlled the city.

  "This [state TV] is not true. They are lying. Misurata is quiet and there is no sound of any bombing," resident Mohamed said.

• Timestamp: 

  1:35pm

  Fighting between Libyan rebels and Gaddafi's troops near the eastern town of Ajdabiyah killed at least 30 women, children and elderly men, according to reports.

      

  Libyan rebels have been trying to halt Gaddafi's troops' push towards the insurgent capital of Benghazi.
• Timestamp: 

  1:23pm

  Libyan State TV says gunfire and explosions are being heard at the airport near Benghazi.

• Timestamp: 

  1:21pm

  At least 30 people are dead in hospital in the eastern Libyan town of Ajdabiyah, according to reports.

• Timestamp: 

  1:18pm

  Conflicting reports: Libyan State TV is reporting that Gaddafi's forces are in control of the western city of Misurata. However, rebel fighters deny the report, saying they are still in control of the city.

• Timestamp: 

  12:00pm

  Gaddafi fighter jets have bombarded Benina airport, 10km south of Benghazi city, Al Jazeera's correspondent reports.
• Timestamp: 

  10:00am

  On the move and on a mission to crush the opposition - Libyan forces loyal to Gaddafi head east. 
  
  Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley has the latest on the uprising:
  
   

   
• Timestamp: 

  9:15am

  Medical sources in Misurata told Al Jazeera that at least 80 members of Gaddafi's forces were killed during yesterday's fighting. 

• Timestamp: 

  7:40am

  In Benghazi - Libya's rebel-controlled second largest city - opposition protesters are buoyed by news that fighters in a nearby town have beaten back an offensive by Gaddafi's forces.

  
  While some in the city are apprehensive that the war may still come to their door step, they remain defiant, vowing to fight on to defeat Gaddafi's troops.

  
  Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Benghazi:
  
  
• Timestamp: 

  6:12am

  Gaddafi said his forces would fight a "decisive battle" on Thursday, as diplomats backing a no-fly zone to rein him in pressed for a vote at the UN Security Council.
• Timestamp: 

  3:30am

  Al Jazeera’s Scott Heidler said that Rice’s call for “a resolution that should go beyond a no-fly zone, is something that we haven't heard before.
  
  “We are hearing from diplomatic sources that change came over night on Tuesday when an initial draft resolution presented and discussed yesterday afternoon.
  
  “She came into the discussions today [Wednesday] with a different point of view. And that was yes no-fly zone and even a step further beyond a no-fly zone.”

• Timestamp: 

  3:00am

  France, Britain and the United States have pressed for a UN Security Council vote on Thursday on a no fly zone to halt Muammar Gaddafi's attacks on rebels.
  
  Council ambassadors met behind closed doors to debate the text for more than eight hours on Wednesday, and said they would return on Thursday morning.
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  1:53am

  The UN Security Council may need to take measures in Libya that go beyond a no-fly zone in Libya, the US envoy to the United Nations said Wednesday.

• Timestamp: 

  1:47am

  The US ambassador to the United Nations has said that the Security Council will continue the negotiations on Libya Thursday.
  
  "My hope that we are able to reach a serious resolution."

• Timestamp: 

  1:29am

  The AFP news agency reported on Wednesday that the UN Security Council have reached an agreement on the text of a draft resolution on Libya, which will be put to a vote on Thursday, diplomats said.

• Timestamp: 

  1:00am

  Reuters news agency has reported that the Libyan army has set an ultimatum on Wednesday to clear Benghazi by 2200 GMT, Libyan television reported.
  
  A text on the screen of Al-Libya television addressed the residents of Benghazi saying:
  
  "The army is coming to support you and to cleanse your city from armed gangs.
  
  "It urges you to keep out by midnight of areas where the armed men and weapon storage areas are located."