New Air Strikes As Libya Edges To Civil War

Libyan forces trying to dislodge rebels from the country's strategically important coast have launched new air strikes.

outskirts of the rebel-held oil terminal town of Ras Lanouf, 400 miles east of the capital Tripoli.

Sky correspondent Dominic Waghorn, at the scene, said: "It's a very volatile atmosphere and Gaddafi's forces are taking on the rebels head-on.

"When we witnessed the air strike by a Libyan Air Force fighter jet, the rebels opened up an extraordinary array of weaponry, including rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns, and everything was being fired into the air."

As the fighting continues, a British special forces team captured near Benghazi on Friday has been released and taken out of the country aboard HMS Cumberland.

Foreign Secretary William Hague confirmed to the Commons that he authorised the "dispatch of a small British diplomatic team" to "build on initial contacts and to assess the scope for closer diplomatic dialogue".

He said: "They were withdrawn yesterday after a serious misunderstanding about their role, leading to their temporary detention. However, this situation is resolved and they were able to meet the council president.

"We intend to send further diplomats to eastern Libya in due course."

He added: "Our position is that Colonel Gaddafi must put an immediate stop to the use of armed force against civilians and hand over power without delay."

n Bin Jawad, 100 miles from the northern Gaddafi power base of Sirte, doctors say seven people were killed and 50 wounded when rebel forces were ambushed.

A number of towns were reportedly pounded with artillery, rockets and gunfire in a dramatic escalation of violence over the weekend, as the country appears to edge towards civil war.

Libya's rebel council said its forces fought off pro-Gaddafi troops in Zawiyah, just 30 miles west of Tripoli, where Sky News has found civilians who described coming under fire from his forces.

After an onslaught from Gaddafi's military, rebels continue to occupy the city of Misratah, 120 miles east of Tripoli.

Anti-Gaddafi forces are attempting to advance towards Sirte.

Taking the city would bring them closer to Tripoli, clearing a major obstacle in the rebels' mission to oust their ruler.

The resilience of Gaddafi's troops in the face of protests which started in mid-February and their ability to launch a counter-attack on a key coastal road has raised the prospect that the country is heading for months of bloodshed