Ras Lanuf, Libya (CNN) -- Libya claimed it took control of the key oil port of Ras Lanuf from opposition forces Thursday, as international diplomats and leaders maneuvered to counter and undermine the tenacious regime of embattled leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Battles have been raging in and around Ras Lanuf and many cities, with the regime using planes and heavy artillery in an effort to reclaim areas that have been taken by the opposition and standing firm in their fight.
Libya's state TV reported on an "urgent" banner that "Ras Lanuf has been cleansed from the armed gangs connected to al Qaeda." The fighters were clearly on the defensive Thursday, but the ousting of opposition forces cannot be independently confirmed.
"We will never surrender," said Saif Gadhafi, the son of Moammar Gadhafi and a prominent spokesman for the regime.
As the fighting got the better of the rebels on Thursday, the Libyan opposition gained momentum internationally, thanks to gestures from major Western powers, as NATO mulled the option of a no-fly zone.
The French government recognized the newly created Libyan opposition movement as the sole representative of the country, the British foreign secretary spoke to an opposition representative over the phone. In the United States, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced plans to meet with opposition leaders next week. She said the United States was suspending relationships with the Libyan Embassy in Washington, and an administration official added the embassy "must shut down."
Protests against the 68-year-old Gadhafi began February 15 as anti-government demonstrators sought his ouster after nearly 42 years of rule, and the discontent devolved into a fierce and bloody civil war.
A few days ago, rebel forces were advancing steadily westward toward Gadhafi's stronghold in the capital, Tripoli. But that advancement appears to have reversed. Opposition fighters, armed with anti-aircraft guns and Soviet rifles, were outgunned by the heavily armed pro-Gadhafi forces.
On Thursday, the wrath of the Libyan military could be seen and heard in Ras Lanuf.
Witnesses said Libyan naval forces in the Mediterranean Sea bombarded a residential area on the eastern edge of Ras Lanuf, and army forces moving toward the city fired tank or mortar rounds at a mosque and just outside a hospital.
Witnesses think civilians have fled the town, and many opposition forces have pulled out of the city amid a steady bombardment from government troops.
Several badly wounded opposition fighters were being carried out of Ras Lanuf in the back of pickup trucks, witnesses said. The back window of a car carrying an Al-Jazeera English crew was smashed by a bullet fired by government forces in Ras Lanuf. The crew was shaken by the incident but is doing well.
A doctor who worked in Ras Lanuf said at least three people were killed and 30 wounded in fighting before the main hospital had to be evacuated. Doctors at a hospital in the city of al-Brega reported two deaths and more than 20 injuries from fighting in Ras Lanuf.
West of Ras Lanuf, in Misrata, citizens braced for an attack that seemed imminent Thursday, according to a spokesman for the opposition. Eyewitnesses have seen Gadhafi's forces massing in an area west of the city preparing to launch an offensive, the spokesman said.
Opposition fighters were shooting in the air as jets flew over al-Brega.
America's top U.S. intelligence official, James Clapper, took note of Libya's military prowess at a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting Thursday. He said Gadhafi is in the fight for the long haul and is intent on staying put and fighting.
At present, the Libyan military has the superior firepower to survive opposition offensives said Clapper.
Clapper described the Libyan air defense as "substantial," saying it is second largest in the region, after Egypt, but he did not address how fighting would fare against Libya if a no-fly zone or other military strategies were imposed.
He said Gadhafi has a lot of aircraft, although a lot are not very operational. To "some extent," he said, the aircraft have been used for attacks, but they have caused more structural damage than injury.
In Brussels, Belgium, NATO defense ministers discussed the option of a no-fly zone over the North African country. Its secretary-general said a move to impose one would have to be predicated on a clear mandate from the United Nations.
The body also decided to bolster its presence in the Mediterranean Sea and perform detailed planning on humanitarian assistance.
International military officials say the imposition of such a no-fly zone could be very complicated, but many opposition figures -- such as Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, a former justice minister who quit last month in protest and now heads the interim government in eastern Libya -- are advocating for the move. Gadhafi has said that imposing such a zone would simply unite Libyans behind him.
Saying NATO is "united," "vigilant," and "ready to act," Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the group's secretary-general, said the body has begun around-the-clock airborne surveillance of Libya's airspace.
Rasmussen said that AWACS aircraft, sophisticated airplanes with the ability to detect aircraft and act as command and control centers, have been deployed. However, their presence doesn't mean that NATO is deciding to stage operations now. He said they are monitoring what the Gadhafi regime is doing to its people and that NATO will stand ready to help if there is a clear need and support.
"Time is of the essence," he said, adding that the crisis requires "close international coordination" between organizations such as NATO, the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, and the Arab League.
Asked whether he would characterize the conflict as a civil war, Rasmussen said "what we can see is that it's an armed upheaval. There is fighting. There is also, of course, the risk of division with the country, and the risk of seeing a failed state in the future that could be the breeding ground" for terror.
On a number of fronts, the opposition and the Gadhafi government moved to garner support.
France has formally recognized the National Transitional Council, Libya's opposition body, as the country's only legitimate representative, the French government confirmed Thursday.
The Gadhafi government will consider ending its relationship with France in light of the development, according to Libyan state TV.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke by telephone with Mahmoud Jabril, the National Transitional Council's special envoy.
He said European foreign ministers on Thursday talked about how the EU should react "to the continuing appalling and unacceptable actions" of the regime.
A Foreign Office statement said Jabril urged humanitarian aid and options to hinder Gadhafi's "ability to inflict further violence on the Libyan people," such as a no-fly zone.
Hague "made clear that planning was under way on a full range of responses, including the possible establishment of a no-fly zone. It would need international support, a clear trigger and a legal basis. He also said that another diplomatic mission would be sent to Benghazi shortly," the statement said. Benghazi is the base of the Libyan opposition.
In the United States, Clinton on Thursday echoed the widespread international sentiment that Gadhafi must depart immediately and that sanctions, pressures and isolation are needed to stop the regime's violence.
Testifying Thursday before the House Appropriations Committee, Clinton said the United States is "suspending our relationships with the existing Libyan embassy so we expect them to end operating as the embassy of Libya."
A senior administration official, speaking on background because he was not authorized to speak on the record, told CNN this is a sign that "Gadhafi is no longer the legitimate leader of Libya and therefore his representatives should leave."
The Council of the European Union Thursday announced it will extend restrictions against Libyan entities.
"The funds and economic resources of the five designated entities will be frozen and an additional name will be added to the list of 26 individuals deemed responsible for the violent crackdown on the civilian population since 15 February and subject to an assets freeze," the EU said in a statement.
The body previously banned "the supply to Libya of arms, ammunition and related material, prohibited trade with Libya in equipment which might be used for internal repression and imposed a visa ban and an assets freeze on 26 individuals," including Gadhafi, members of his family and close associates.
As for Gadhafi's government, it has sought to influence international sentiment, announcing that its secretary of state for international relations will travel to Portugal, Greece and Malta on an exploratory, fact-finding mission that may include other destinations.
The country has also invited British, French, Dutch and German fact-finding teams to examine reports of aerial bombardment and massacres. None has taken up Gadhafi on the offer.
The fighting has been brutal. Death toll estimates have ranged from more than 1,000 to as many as 2,000. And the war has forced out 215,000 people, many of them poor migrant workers who have been stranded at both the Tunisian and Egyptian borders, the U.N. refugee agency has said.
Navi Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Thursday condemned the detention and possible torture by Libyan authorities of a BBC news team working to cover the conflict in the western city of Zawiya. The journalists, released from detention in Libya Wednesday, told of beatings and mock executions.
The Guardian, a British daily newspaper, reported that one of its correspondents, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad is missing.
He was traveling with Andrei Netto of the Brazilian newspaper Estado, who was detained by authorities while reporting from Libya, the Guardian said. Netto was released Thursday and will leave the country Friday
Battles have been raging in and around Ras Lanuf and many cities, with the regime using planes and heavy artillery in an effort to reclaim areas that have been taken by the opposition and standing firm in their fight.
Libya's state TV reported on an "urgent" banner that "Ras Lanuf has been cleansed from the armed gangs connected to al Qaeda." The fighters were clearly on the defensive Thursday, but the ousting of opposition forces cannot be independently confirmed.
"We will never surrender," said Saif Gadhafi, the son of Moammar Gadhafi and a prominent spokesman for the regime.
As the fighting got the better of the rebels on Thursday, the Libyan opposition gained momentum internationally, thanks to gestures from major Western powers, as NATO mulled the option of a no-fly zone.
The French government recognized the newly created Libyan opposition movement as the sole representative of the country, the British foreign secretary spoke to an opposition representative over the phone. In the United States, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced plans to meet with opposition leaders next week. She said the United States was suspending relationships with the Libyan Embassy in Washington, and an administration official added the embassy "must shut down."
Protests against the 68-year-old Gadhafi began February 15 as anti-government demonstrators sought his ouster after nearly 42 years of rule, and the discontent devolved into a fierce and bloody civil war.
A few days ago, rebel forces were advancing steadily westward toward Gadhafi's stronghold in the capital, Tripoli. But that advancement appears to have reversed. Opposition fighters, armed with anti-aircraft guns and Soviet rifles, were outgunned by the heavily armed pro-Gadhafi forces.
On Thursday, the wrath of the Libyan military could be seen and heard in Ras Lanuf.
Witnesses said Libyan naval forces in the Mediterranean Sea bombarded a residential area on the eastern edge of Ras Lanuf, and army forces moving toward the city fired tank or mortar rounds at a mosque and just outside a hospital.
Witnesses think civilians have fled the town, and many opposition forces have pulled out of the city amid a steady bombardment from government troops.
Several badly wounded opposition fighters were being carried out of Ras Lanuf in the back of pickup trucks, witnesses said. The back window of a car carrying an Al-Jazeera English crew was smashed by a bullet fired by government forces in Ras Lanuf. The crew was shaken by the incident but is doing well.
A doctor who worked in Ras Lanuf said at least three people were killed and 30 wounded in fighting before the main hospital had to be evacuated. Doctors at a hospital in the city of al-Brega reported two deaths and more than 20 injuries from fighting in Ras Lanuf.
West of Ras Lanuf, in Misrata, citizens braced for an attack that seemed imminent Thursday, according to a spokesman for the opposition. Eyewitnesses have seen Gadhafi's forces massing in an area west of the city preparing to launch an offensive, the spokesman said.
Opposition fighters were shooting in the air as jets flew over al-Brega.
America's top U.S. intelligence official, James Clapper, took note of Libya's military prowess at a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting Thursday. He said Gadhafi is in the fight for the long haul and is intent on staying put and fighting.
At present, the Libyan military has the superior firepower to survive opposition offensives said Clapper.
Clapper described the Libyan air defense as "substantial," saying it is second largest in the region, after Egypt, but he did not address how fighting would fare against Libya if a no-fly zone or other military strategies were imposed.
He said Gadhafi has a lot of aircraft, although a lot are not very operational. To "some extent," he said, the aircraft have been used for attacks, but they have caused more structural damage than injury.
In Brussels, Belgium, NATO defense ministers discussed the option of a no-fly zone over the North African country. Its secretary-general said a move to impose one would have to be predicated on a clear mandate from the United Nations.
The body also decided to bolster its presence in the Mediterranean Sea and perform detailed planning on humanitarian assistance.
International military officials say the imposition of such a no-fly zone could be very complicated, but many opposition figures -- such as Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, a former justice minister who quit last month in protest and now heads the interim government in eastern Libya -- are advocating for the move. Gadhafi has said that imposing such a zone would simply unite Libyans behind him.
Saying NATO is "united," "vigilant," and "ready to act," Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the group's secretary-general, said the body has begun around-the-clock airborne surveillance of Libya's airspace.
Rasmussen said that AWACS aircraft, sophisticated airplanes with the ability to detect aircraft and act as command and control centers, have been deployed. However, their presence doesn't mean that NATO is deciding to stage operations now. He said they are monitoring what the Gadhafi regime is doing to its people and that NATO will stand ready to help if there is a clear need and support.
"Time is of the essence," he said, adding that the crisis requires "close international coordination" between organizations such as NATO, the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, and the Arab League.
Asked whether he would characterize the conflict as a civil war, Rasmussen said "what we can see is that it's an armed upheaval. There is fighting. There is also, of course, the risk of division with the country, and the risk of seeing a failed state in the future that could be the breeding ground" for terror.
On a number of fronts, the opposition and the Gadhafi government moved to garner support.
France has formally recognized the National Transitional Council, Libya's opposition body, as the country's only legitimate representative, the French government confirmed Thursday.
The Gadhafi government will consider ending its relationship with France in light of the development, according to Libyan state TV.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke by telephone with Mahmoud Jabril, the National Transitional Council's special envoy.
He said European foreign ministers on Thursday talked about how the EU should react "to the continuing appalling and unacceptable actions" of the regime.
A Foreign Office statement said Jabril urged humanitarian aid and options to hinder Gadhafi's "ability to inflict further violence on the Libyan people," such as a no-fly zone.
Hague "made clear that planning was under way on a full range of responses, including the possible establishment of a no-fly zone. It would need international support, a clear trigger and a legal basis. He also said that another diplomatic mission would be sent to Benghazi shortly," the statement said. Benghazi is the base of the Libyan opposition.
In the United States, Clinton on Thursday echoed the widespread international sentiment that Gadhafi must depart immediately and that sanctions, pressures and isolation are needed to stop the regime's violence.
Testifying Thursday before the House Appropriations Committee, Clinton said the United States is "suspending our relationships with the existing Libyan embassy so we expect them to end operating as the embassy of Libya."
A senior administration official, speaking on background because he was not authorized to speak on the record, told CNN this is a sign that "Gadhafi is no longer the legitimate leader of Libya and therefore his representatives should leave."
The Council of the European Union Thursday announced it will extend restrictions against Libyan entities.
"The funds and economic resources of the five designated entities will be frozen and an additional name will be added to the list of 26 individuals deemed responsible for the violent crackdown on the civilian population since 15 February and subject to an assets freeze," the EU said in a statement.
The body previously banned "the supply to Libya of arms, ammunition and related material, prohibited trade with Libya in equipment which might be used for internal repression and imposed a visa ban and an assets freeze on 26 individuals," including Gadhafi, members of his family and close associates.
As for Gadhafi's government, it has sought to influence international sentiment, announcing that its secretary of state for international relations will travel to Portugal, Greece and Malta on an exploratory, fact-finding mission that may include other destinations.
The country has also invited British, French, Dutch and German fact-finding teams to examine reports of aerial bombardment and massacres. None has taken up Gadhafi on the offer.
The fighting has been brutal. Death toll estimates have ranged from more than 1,000 to as many as 2,000. And the war has forced out 215,000 people, many of them poor migrant workers who have been stranded at both the Tunisian and Egyptian borders, the U.N. refugee agency has said.
Navi Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Thursday condemned the detention and possible torture by Libyan authorities of a BBC news team working to cover the conflict in the western city of Zawiya. The journalists, released from detention in Libya Wednesday, told of beatings and mock executions.
The Guardian, a British daily newspaper, reported that one of its correspondents, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad is missing.
He was traveling with Andrei Netto of the Brazilian newspaper Estado, who was detained by authorities while reporting from Libya, the Guardian said. Netto was released Thursday and will leave the country Friday
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