American and European forces began a broad campaign of strikes against the government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi on Saturday, unleashing warplanes and missiles in a military intervention on a scale not seen in the Arab world since the Iraq war.

The mission to impose a United Nations-sanctioned no-fly zone and keep Colonel Qaddafi from using air power against beleaguered rebel forces was portrayed by Pentagon and NATO officials as under French and British leadership.

But the Pentagon said that American forces were mounting an initial campaign to knock out Libya’s air defense systems, firing volley after volley of Tomahawk missiles from nearby ships against missile, radar and communications centers around Tripoli, the capital, and the western cities of Misurata and Surt.

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President Nicolas Sarkozy announced Saturday that French jets have entered Libyan airspace after a crunch meeting of world leaders in Paris. French forces will be countering the attacks of Gaddafi’s forces on Benghazi. Follow events live on France24.

French jets have entered Libya’s airspace to prevent Muammar Gaddafi’s forces from attacking Benghazi, President Sarkozy has announced.

Sarkozy’s statement to the press came after world leaders, including British PM David Cameron, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and various Arab leaders, met in Paris Saturday to hold crunch talks on the crisis in Libya.

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French President Nicolas Sarkozy says world powers meeting in Paris have agreed on the use of military action to protect civilians in Libya.

Sarkozy said Saturday the international community has a duty to respond to the call of the civilians who are facing a military assault from forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi.

He commented as pro-government forces in the north African nation advanced against rebels on two fronts. Insurgents in their eastern stronghold of Benghazi say pro-government forces are advancing in apparent disregard of the cease-fire Gadhafi declared on Friday. The rebels also say military units loyal to Gadhafi shot down one of their planes over the city.

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says now that the United Nations has approved possible military action, the world is waiting to see whether Moammar Gadhafi’s forces begin to retreat from opposition-controlled areas in east Libya.

The News:
http://www.whsv.com/ … Libya_118258334.html

Forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi massed Thursday outside the city of Misrata — the last major rebel foothold in the west — apparently in preparation for an attack, as the rebels at both ends of the country’s coast battled to hold off the Qaddafi forces and their superior firepower.

Musa Ibrahim, a spokesman for the Qaddafi government, confirmed that its forces were preparing to take Misurata just as they did Zawiyah, another western town that had been held by the rebels.

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Government soldiers have surrounded and made their first ground assault on Ajdabiya - the last town before the main rebel-held city of Benghazi.

Tanks are also pounding the last rebel-controlled city in the west, Misrata.

Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has urged the UN Security Council to back a draft resolution that would include a military no-fly zone.

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Muammar Gaddafi’s forces captured the last rebel-held town west of Tripoli after a heavy barrage of tank and artillery fire Tuesday as regime forces pressed forward in the east.

The victory in Zwara, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the Tunisian border, solidifies Gaddafi’s hold in his western stronghold, reversing gains made by rebels in several cities early in the uprising against his rule that began on 15 February.

Gaddafi’s gains in recent days have increased pressure on the US and other Western powers to intervene to stop the bloodshed.

The Obama administration on Monday held its first high-level talks with the Libyan opposition and introduced a liaison to deal full time with their ranks. But it remained undecided about exactly how much support to lend a group it still knows little about while turmoil and uncertainty increase across the Arab world.

The News:
http://english.ahram … west-of-Tripoli.aspx