Libyan rebels pushing toward Tripoli say they have battled to about 30 kilometers from the stronghold of long-time leader Moammar Gadhafi, after a night of gunfire and explosions in the capital.
Rebels advancing from the town of Zawiya, west of Tripoli, say forces loyal to Mr. Gadhafi are pounding their positions with rockets and anti-aircraft fire.
Explosions and sustained gunfire rang out in Tripoli overnight into Sunday as rebels attacked the capital in coordination with NATO forces. Hours earlier, the rebels said they had taken control of two strategic towns — Zawiya in the west and Brega in eastern Libya.
In an audio message carried on state television, Mr. Gadhafi urged his supporters to “march by the millions” and squash the uprising. He dismissed the rebellion as an ill-fated attempt by “traitors” and “rats.”
In a separate speech airing Sunday, the Libyan leader's son Seif al-Islam Gadhafi said the government will not “abandon the fight.”
Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim denied the government is on the brink of collapse and he held Western leaders accountable for the bloodshed. He said the Gadhafi government has a lot of support and that both sides should start working toward a peaceful solution.
Mr. Gadhafi has seen the areas under his control shrink significantly in recent weeks as rebels advance on Tripoli from the west, east and south after six months of fighting to end his four-decade autocratic rule.
NATO warplanes have been supporting the rebels by bombing pro-Gadhafi forces under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing military action to protect Libyan civilians from government attacks.
Meanwhile, two more Gadhafi aides appear to have defected. Officials with Libya's opposition National Transitional Council say the Libyan leader's former number-two, Abdel-Salam Jalloud, is in Italy Sunday after joining their ranks a day earlier.
Tunisian officials also said Libyan Oil Minister Omran Abukraa has decided not to return to Libya after a recent mission to Italy.
British officials said they are evacuating a small number of Britons from Tripoli on a boat traveling to Malta.
