Libya’s revolutionary leadership has appealed for France and Britain to launch air strikes against an intensive assault by Muammar Gaddafi’s forces that has forced the rebel army to retreat towards its eastern stronghold of Benghazi.

The Provisional Transitional National Council said that calls by European leaders for Gaddafi to quit and the threat of more sanctions were not enough as the regime regains its footing after the initial shock of the popular uprising.

The revolutionaries fear that the hesitation by most European states and the US to take direct action is providing a breathing space for Gaddafi to continue his attempts to crush the uprising in areas around Tripoli and to move toward Benghazi.

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A spokesman of insurgents, Mohammed al-Mughrabi, says the government troups disembarked near hotel ‘Fadeel’ in Ras Lanuf, where fights would be going on. “Four boats have landed with 50 men aboard each.

We are fighting against them”, says him. Already yesterday soldiers of Gaddafi’s regime have bombed rebel positions in Ras Lanuf and in the other oil port of Brega.

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A Libyan insurgent said rebels had retaken the heart of the closest city to the capital from forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi on Wednesday evening in some of the fiercest fighting in almost three weeks of clashes.

Zawiya appeared to change hands twice during the day as Gaddafi tried to crush the uprising against him by bombarding the western town and the frontlines of the rebel-held east of the country.

“Thanks to Allah we are sitting in the square now,” the fighter, who gave his name as Ibrahim, said by telephone after earlier reporting his forces had pulled back from the square.

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Libyan warplanes have launched renewed air strikes on the rebel-held city of Ras Lanuf. They dropped bombs close to the coastal city’s oil refinery.

There were no reports of any fatalities but the AFP news agency said at least three rebel fighters had been injured.

Nevertheless, the opposition remains defiant. “With God’s Will, we will win. We’ll defeat this tyrant,” one rebel said. “We are not afraid of him or his tanks or planes.”

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The warplanes launched fresh airstrikes on anti-regime positions around the port city on Monday. Witnesses say at least three people have been killed in the attacks.

The revolutionary fighters say they can take on the government’s elite ground forces, but are outgunned when the regime uses air power.

They have begun pulling back from Ras Lanuf and the nearby city of Ben Jawad after the regime resorted to heavy use of air attacks.

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Opposition fighters in east Libya regrouped on Sunday and moved back towards Bin Jawad after forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi had ambushed rebels and ejected them from the town earlier in the day, a Reuters witness said.

“We are just outside Bin Jawad. There are thuds of mortars landing near rebel positions, leaving puffs of smoke, and also the sound of heavy machine guns in the distance,” Reuters correspondent Mohammed Abbas said in a brief report.

“There’s a steady stream of rebels heading back west towards Bin Jawad,” he said.

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Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi fired from tanks at residential areas in the western Libyan town of Zawiyah on Saturday, as fighting in the town continued, Arabic satellite channels reported. “Now with all the artillery, tanks and armored vehicles, we’re seeing battles and killings we haven’t seen in Iraq. I consider it total genocide,” said one witness who spoke to Al Arabiya television.

“The battles have now entered the city. More than 15 armored vehicles entered two hours ago along with a tank. There is heavy firing in all the areas and mosques have announced ‘jihad’ against these brigades,” the man told Al Arabiya.

Witnesses also said that pro-Gaddafi forces break through rebel defenses at Libyan city of Zawiyah.

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