The UN Security Council will consider a no-fly zone Wednesday<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
(CNN)<\/b> — The rebel-held city of Misrata came under sustained attack by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on Wednesday, a witness in the western city said.<\/p>\n
The tank and artillery fire went on for at least two hours, he said.<\/p>\n
“We hear very, very, very loud explosions,” said the witness who did not want to be named. “They have cut off electricity and water.”<\/p>\n
The assault came as Gadhafi fights to recapture a number of rebel towns and cities in the east of the country, and on the day the United Nations Security Council is due to consider imposing a no-fly zone over Libya. <\/p>\n
The key Libyan city of Ajdabiya, the last major point between pro-government forces and the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, was slipping from the opposition’s hands Tuesday, witnesses reported.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Gadhafi’s forces fired artillery into Ajdabiya, and there were eyewitness reports of at least two airstrikes on the city. If Ajdabiya is retaken by pro-Gadhafi forces, it would give access to roads leading to the heart of the opposition’s base.<\/p>\n
Ajdabiya is east of Misrata. Benghazi is east of Ajdabiya.<\/p>\n
Opposition fighters in Ajdabiya Tuesday returned fire with anti-aircraft weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, but eventually had to pull back their defense positions. Gadhafi’s forces approached the city from the south and the west, witnesses said.<\/p>\n
Libyan state television reported Tuesday evening that “Ajdabiya has been cleansed from mercenaries and terrorists connected to al Qaeda.”<\/p>\n
Appearing to contradict that report, Khaled al-Sayeh, a spokesman for the opposition military forces, said Gadhafi’s forces had reached the western outskirts of Ajdabiya. The spokesman said a small unit of government forces had entered the city Tuesday but were repelled by opposition fighters.<\/p>\n
Sayeh said opposition forces deployed planes and naval assets to strike at the advancing Gadhafi battalion and capture an oil tanker registered to “Hannibal Gadhafi.” The tanker was carrying 25,000 tons of fuel. Sayeh said the opposition also attacked three oil tankers that Gadhafi had converted into battleships and sank two of them.<\/p>\n
However, the spokesman said the opposition’s ability to mount an air defensive was limited and said the imposition of a no-fly zone was paramount.<\/p>\n
Without implementation of a no-fly zone, rebels fear that it is only a matter of time before there is a bloodbath in Benghazi.<\/p>\n
Lebanon’s U.N. representative distributed a draft resolution Tuesday calling for the imposition of a no-fly zone on Libya to members of the U.N. Security Council. The council is scheduled to take up the matter Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n
But council nations remain divided on the no-fly zone proposal.<\/p>\n
Germany’s U.N. ambassador said his country has questions about such a zone. India’s U.N. ambassador asked, “Who will implement the no-fly zone? Who would provide assets for it?”<\/p>\n
China’s U.N. ambassador said his country is concerned about deteriorating conditions in Libya but didn’t say whether Beijing backs a no-fly measure.<\/p>\n
The United States declined to take a public position. A council diplomat said the U.S. is engaged in negotiations on the text.<\/p>\n
The Arab League recommendation of a no-fly zone carries some weight with reluctant council nations. But the Arab League declaration that there should be “no foreign intervention” has perplexed delegates.<\/p>\n
En route to Washington after a weekend trip to Bahrain, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that the logistical challenges of enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya could be overcome. “If we are directed to impose a no-fly zone, we have the resources to do it,” he said.<\/p>\n
“The question is whether it’s a wise thing to do. And that’s the discussion that’s going at a political level.”<\/p>\n
However, the chances that the U.N. Security Council will adopt a no-fly zone are in doubt because of resistance from some council members.<\/p>\n
CNN’s Arwa Damon, Richard Roth, Joe Vaccarello, Yousuf Basil and Reza Sayah, and journalist Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report.<\/b><\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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