Battles are underway in at least three Libyan cities where forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi are fighting rebels who have been receiving some assistance from NATO.
Fighting is reported in the western city of Misrata where rebels have accused pro-government forces of using dangerous cluster bombs. A rebel spokesperson told the Reuters news agency that Mr. Gadhafi's forces fired at least 100 of the explosives into an industrial area of the city on Saturday.
Cluster munitions explode into numerous smaller explosives that can cause widespread and indiscriminate destruction. They have been banned by most countries because they are so imprecise and dangerous. Libyan authorities have denied using the explosives.
Meanwhile, witnesses have reported heavy fighting between rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces near the eastern city of Adjabiya. Separately, opposition forces have reported some progress in clashes with pro-government forces in the oil town of Brega.
The new clashes are coming on the heels of diplomatic efforts on several fronts this week to try to ease the conflict, including a NATO meeting in Berlin and a meeting in Cairo that included Arab, African and European delegates.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters