French air raids and US Tomahawk missiles pounded targets in Libya yesterday, in an international campaign to prevent Muammar Gaddafi from crushing a month-old uprising against his rule.
A US warship fired Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya, targeting Gaddafi’s air defence sites, a senior US military official said.
Two days after a UN Security Council resolution authorised military action, French planes carried out an initial four air strikes, destroying several armoured vehicles of Gaddafi’s forces, the French military said.
Libyan media said Western warplanes bombed civilian targets in Tripoli, causing casualties, shortly after France’s launch of the multinational air campaign against Gaddafi.
State television said hundreds of people had gathered at Bab al-Aziziyah, Gaddafi’s Tripoli headquarters, and at the capital’s international airport, ahead of the widely anticipated air strikes.
“Crowds are forming around the targets identified by France,” the television reported, showing pictures of flag-waving people gathering to serve as human shields.
Last week, a highly placed French source referred to Bab al-Aziziya, a military air base in Sirte, east of the capital, and another in Sebha in the south as likely targets of a strike.
Britain also said its forces were in action yesterday, as Russia’s foreign ministry expressed regret over the armed intervention under UN Resolution 1973 “which was adopted in haste”.
According to France’s army chief, a first French air strike took place around 6.45 p.m. against “a Libyan vehicle clearly identified as belonging to pro-Gaddafi forces”.
Within the next hour, French Rafale and Mirage 2000 fighter jets conducted three other strikes, destroying armoured vehicles of the Libyan forces in the eastern region of Benghazi, the rebels’ stronghold, the military said.
The operations are to continue through the night, the military said.
In the rebel camp, celebratory gunfire and honking of car horns broke out in Al-Marj, 100 km from Benghazi, to welcome the start of military operations against Gaddafi, correspondents said.
As thousands fled Benghazi amid an assault by Gaddafi loyalists earlier yesterday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a summit of world leaders in Paris that his country’s fighters were poised to attack.
But Sarkozy said Gaddafi could still avoid the worst if he complied with the Security Council resolution by implementing a ceasefire to allow the diplomatic door to reopen.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon, however, said he was troubled by a telephone call from the Libyan prime minister on Friday night.
“He told me the Libyan government was fully abiding by the Security Council resolution and there will be an immediate ceasefire,” said the secretary general.
“But at the same time and overnight they were attacking Benghazi. It is very troubling; whatever they say must be verified.”
Since Friday, the Libyan government has insisted it was observing a self-declared ceasefire, shortly after the Security Council voted to authorise the use of force against Gaddafi’s troops to spare civilians. The regime said its armed forces were under attack west of Benghazi, including by rebel aircraft, and had responded in self-defence.
Yesterday, Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa said Tripoli had met all its obligations under the UN resolution and asked Ban to send observers to monitor the ceasefire.
But the rebels, who have been trying to overthrow the Libyan leader for more than a month, said government troops had continued to bombard cities, violating the ceasefire continuously.
British Prime Minister David Cameron held Gaddafi responsible for the continued violence and said that “the time for action” had come.
“Colonel Gaddafi has made this happen. He has lied to the international community, he has promised a ceasefire, he has broken that ceasefire. He continues to brutalise his own people,” Cameron told British television.
“And so the time for action has come. It needs to be urgent. We have to enforce the will of the United Nations and we cannot allow the slaughter of civilians to continue.”
Gaddafi has defied the threats against, telling Sarkozy and Cameron, main sponsors of the resolution authorising military action, that they would regret interfering in his country’s affairs.
Nations ready to take action in Libya
A coalition of nations including Britain, France and the US are ready to join military action against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces in Libya. Here are details of their contributions:
France
A French warplane fired the first shot in the operation on a Libyan military vehicle at 6.45 p.m., after talks between world leaders in Paris hosted by President Nicolas Sarkozy. Three more air strikes followed yesterday.
He said earlier that French jets were overflying the rebel bastion of Benghazi, preventing Gaddafi’s air strikes.
Around 20 French warplanes were involved in operations over Libya, the French defence ministry said.
France has about 100 warplanes, mainly Rafale and Mirage 2000 jets. Air bases at Solenzara in Corsica and in Ndjamena in Chad were also on alert. The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will be deployed to Libya today.
Britain
Prime Minister David Cameron said British forces were in action over Libya late yesterday.
Britain has moved Tornado and Typhoon fighter jets to bases near Libya and is also offering air-to-air refuelling and surveillance aircraft.
The country has an airbase in Cyprus, where three of its airborne warning and control system (AWACS) planes were recently stationed.
Two frigates, HMS Cumberland and HMS Westminster, were already in the Mediterranean.
United States
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US would deploy its “unique capabilities” but gave no further details.
US tomahawk cruise missiles hit Libya late yesterday, the Pentagon said.
Washington has F-15 and F-16 fighter jets in Sicily, while the USS Barry and the USS Stout, both destroyers equipped with sea-to-ground Tomahawk missiles, are in the Mediterranean.
The USS Bataan, a helicopter-carrying amphibious assault ship, and two other vessels have also been deployed to relieve the USS Kearsarge and the transport docking ship USS Ponce in the Mediterranean. The Bataan was due to leave the state of Virginia last Wednesday.
The US also has three submarines in the Mediterranean capable of firing Tomahawk missiles.
Canada
Seven CF-18 jets and a C-17 Globemaster transport plane have headed for the Mediterranean, with another C-17 due to be deployed later.
Arab Nations
Qatar said it will contribute to the no-fly zone but has not given details, while a UN diplomat said the United Arab Emirates will participate.
NATO
The 28-nation alliance was discussing whether to participate, but France has indicated that it would prefer Nato did not.
AWACS planes have been flying 24 hours a day in the region for the past week as part of a Nato anti-terror mission. The alliance also decided last week to deploy three ships to the area.
Italy
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi offered the use of its seven air bases and held out the possibility of using its own air force and navy.
Norway
Prime Minister Jens Stolten-berg said six F-16 warplanes would be in place “within a few days”.
Denmark
The defence ministry said four F-16s, two reserve fighter jets and a transport plane had been sent to a military base in Sicily.
Belgium
Defence Minister Pieter De Crem said Belgium could deploy four of the six F-16 fighter jets it has committed to Nato, plus an anti-mine ship.
Spain
Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero said four F-18 fighter planes and an air-to-air refuelling plane would leave yesterday for an Italian base.
Netherlands
A diplomat in Paris said the Netherlands would join military action.
Greece
Prime Minister George Papandreou volunteered the use of the island of Crete, which lies northeast of Libya, a diplomat in Paris said.