Libya: Gaddafi forces bomb rebel-held Benghazi

17 March 2011 Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have reportedly launched their first bombing raids on the main rebel-held city of Benghazi. BBC correspondents in the city heard the sound of low-flying aircraft and explosions on the outskirts of the second city, which has a population of a million. Reports say the targets included the city's airport at Benina. A UN Security Council vote on action in Libya could be held later on Thursday. Western countries want a no-fly zone to halt the advance of government forces. The official Libyan news agency Jana is reporting that Libyan government forces will cease military operations from midnight on Sunday to give rebels the opportunity to hand over their weapons and "benefit from the decision on general amnesty". Following the toppling of the long-time leaders of neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt earlier this year, Libyan protesters started to demand that Col Gaddafi step down after 42 years of autocratic rule. They quickly seized much of eastern Libya, but in recent days pro-Gaddafi forces have retaken several towns. In the latest developments: Col Gaddafi's forces are reported to have seized positions from around rebel-held town of Ajdabiya, a key objective before launching a ground assault on Benghazi - but rebels deployed tanks, artillery and a helicopter to repel an assault on the town itself Libyan state television reports that the city of Misrata is almost entirely under government control, but rebels and residents in the city have denied this The AFP news agency quotes a rebel spokesman as saying two of the planes attacking Benghazi were shot down. Reuters quotes an unnamed rebel spokesman in Benghazi as saying: "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." The Red Cross has announced that it is withdrawing from Benghazi because of the deteriorating security situation in the city. 'All necessary measures' British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the latest draft UN Security Council resolution on Libya called for "all necessary measures short of an occupation force" to protect civilians under threat of attack. "The resolution that is under discussion today includes demands for an immediate ceasefire, a complete end to violence, a ban on all flights in Libyan air space with the exception of humanitarian flights," he told MPs. US Undersecretary of State William Burns said the administration supported international measures in Libya "short of boots on the ground". He also told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that a no-fly zone over Libya could have "an important, positive, practical" effect, but it was still necessary to consider other measures. France is close to the UK-US position, but the Russians and the Chinese - the other two veto-wielding members of the Security Council - have traditionally been opposed to resolutions that could provide a justification for the use of force against a sovereign country. Moscow and Beijing oppose such external intervention in the internal affairs of another country, believing it sets a dangerous precedent. Source: BBC News