Some loud explosions were heard Tuesday morning in the Libyan capital, near Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s compound.
Some loud explosions were heard Tuesday morning in the Libyan capital, near Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's compound.
CNN reported that at least 10 blasts rang out in central Tripoli and dark smoke hung in the air in the area in of Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound.
Tripoli has come under increased attack from NATO bombers in recent days, with strikes occurring every few hours.
On Monday, NATO air raids on the capital targeted the communications of the battered government, hitting offices of the state broadcaster and military intelligence headquarters, officials said.
Earlier Tuesday morning, Libyan state television showed images of destroyed buildings, damaged studios and satellite vehicles -- saying it was the aftermath of a different NATO airstrike that hit its facilities in Tripoli.
For his part, NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said the alliance had damaged or destroyed 1,800 military targets in Libya so far, thereby degrading Gaddafi's power to the extent that he would certainly be forced to step down.
"We have made considerable progress," Rasmussen said.
"We have taken the momentum, we have turned the tide of terror unleashed by the Gaddafi regime, we have saved countless lives and we have seriously degraded the ability of the Gaddafi regime to attack civilians."
On the other hand, reports said that opposition made recent gains as fighters entered the northwestern town of Yafran, previously held by government forces.
DIPLOMATIC ACTIONS
On Tuesday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's envoy arrived in the eastern city of Benghazi, bastion of opposition fighters, to hold meetings with the Libyan Transitional National Council (TNC).
Mikhail Margelov is the first top Russian official to hold talks with the rebels.
"We have come to Benghazi to facilitate dialogue between the two camps," Margelov told reporters as he arrived.
Meanwhile, Libyan Foreign Minister, Abdul-Ati al-Obeidi, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for talks with Chinese officials. Al-Obeidi, was to stay in China until Thursday and would meet his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters.
Both China and Russia seek mediation role in Libya.
The flurry of diplomatic activity seemed to indicate that China – which has significant economic interests in Libya -- was stepping up its involvement in efforts to defuse the months-long crisis in the north African state.
