Embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi pledged he would not “knee” or “surrender” as NATO’s military campaign against his regime continued.

Embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi pledged he would not “knee” or “surrender” as NATO’s military campaign against his regime continued.

In a speech broadcast live on state television, Gaddafi said: “We only have one choice: we will stay in our land dead or alive”.
"We will not kneel! We will not surrender".

"We are stronger than your missiles, stronger than your planes and the voice of the Libyan people is louder than explosions", he said.
Gaddafi said he was ready to unleash between 250,000 to 500,000 armed Libyans to swarm across the country to cleanse it from "armed gangs", a reference to the rebels controlling parts of the North African country.

"Whether we are martyred, killed or commit suicide, we care about our duty towards history", Gaddafi said, demanding to know why the bombardment was continuing.

Gaddafi was last seen on state television on May 30 in footage of him meeting South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma, who was representing the African Union.

INTENSIFIED RAIDS
Meanwhile, loud explosions rocked Tripoli early on Wednesday as NATO kept up its heaviest bombing of the the capital since air strikes began in March.

Warplanes hit the city several times an hour overnight after day-long raids that shook the ground and sent thundering sound waves across the capital on Tuesday.
Ambulances and blaring sirens could be heard racing through the city. Moussa Ibrahim, the Libyan government spokesman, said 31 people had been killed in 60 strikes. His account could not be verified.

The strikes hit the Popular Guard compound and the Revolutionary Guard compound, a Libyan official told reporters in the capital.