Libyan government forces stormed into the rebel capital of Benghazi, apparently ignoring a proclaimed ceasefire and potentially complicating any allied military action.

Libyan government forces stormed into the rebel capital of Benghazi, apparently ignoring a proclaimed ceasefire and potentially complicating any allied military action.


Crashing shells shook buildings and the sounds of battle drew closer to the centre of Benghazi, where a doctor said 27 bodies were brought to the hospital by midday. By late in the day, warplanes could be heard overhead.

Sarkozy said French jets were already targeting Gaddafi’s forces. The 22 participants in today’s summit “agreed to put in place all the means necessary, in particular military” to make Gaddafi respect a UN Security Council resolution passed on Thursday demanding a ceasefire, he said.

“Our planes are blocking the air attacks on the city” of Benghazi, he said.

In an open letter, Gaddafi warned: “You will regret it if you dare to intervene in our country.”

Earlier today, a plane was shot down over the outskirts of Benghazi, sending up a massive black cloud of smoke. Before the plane went down, journalists heard what appeared to be airstrikes from it.

Rebels cheered and celebrated at the crash, though the government denied a plane had gone down or that any towns were shelled.

The fighting galvanised the people of Benghazi, with young men collecting bottles to make petrol bombs. Some residents dragged bed frames and metal scraps into the streets to make roadblocks.

Abdel-Hafez, a 49-year-old Benghazi resident, said rebels and government soldiers were fighting on a university campus on the south side of the city, with government tanks moving in, followed by ground troops. In the city centre, tank fire drew closer and rebel shouts rang out.

At a news conference in the capital, Tripoli, the government spokesman read letters from Gaddafi to President Barack Obama and others involved in the international effort.

“Libya is not yours. Libya is for the Libyans. The Security Council resolution is invalid,” he said in the letter to Sarkozy, Prime Minister David Cameron, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

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