Libya uprising and Moussa Koussa defection – live updates

 

Libyan rebels fire rockets against forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi at an area some 20 kms from Brega Photograph: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

9.30am: Good morning, welcome to the Guardian's coverage of the continuing crisis in Libya. Here's a round-up of the latest developments: 

• Colonel Gaddafi's regime has dispatched one of its most trusted envoys to London for confidential talks with British officials. The visit by Mohammed Ismail, a senior aide to Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam, is one of a number of contacts between Libyan officials and the west, a possible indication the regime may be looking for an exit strategy.
• Scottish prosecutors are seeking to interview Moussa Koussa, the Libyan foreign minister and former spy chief who defected to Britain, about the Lockerbie bombing. The request from Scotland's Crown Office comes as opposition rebels in Libya are demanding Koussa be returned to stand trial for murder and crimes against humanity.
• There have been unconfirmed reports that several more Gaddafi officials have defected in the wake of Koussa's flight to Britain. Al-Jazeera cited reports saying Mohammad Abu Al Qassim Al Zawi, a senior government figure, and leading oil official Shokri Ghanem had defected, however Reuters said Ghanem had denied the claim. Meanwhile, Ali Abdussalam Treki, appointed by Gaddafi as UN ambassador, refused to take up the post, condemning the "spilling of blood in Libya".
• In Washington, the Pentagon said it would shortly be pulling its fighter planes out of the allied air campaign over Libya, a move that would leave Britain and France at the helm. US senators questioned the timing of the announcement which came as government forces made significant advances on the rebels.
• In signs that turmoil is continuing to spread across the Middle East, Kuwait became the latest country in the region to see its government resign amid calls for political and economic reform. Meanwhile, the Foreign Office is urging all British citizens in Yemen to leave after a "rapid deterioration" in security after several weeks of protests.

9.44am: Libyan rebels are moving rockets and other equipment back towards the eastern oil town of Brega in the hope of retaking the town, Reuters reports. The rebels failed to recapture Brega in an assault on Thursday aimed at preventing Gaddafi's troops from closing in on Ajdabiya, the gateway to their stronghold in Benghazi. "Some military have come and strengthened the rebel lines. God willing, they will begin with Ajdabiya and go to Brega and Ras Lanuf," Khaled al-Farjani, a Libyan air force captain fighting with the rebels, told Reuters.

9.53am: The New York Times reports that guards are being posted in the Libyan capital Tripoli to prevent further defections (paywall) in the wake of Moussa Koussa's exit. It said anxiety was spreading in the Gaddafi government over Koussa's departure and no more officials would be permitted to leave the country.

10.05am: Germany's foreign minister has called for a non-military resolution to the Libya crisis, underlining his country's opposition to the UN-mandated air campaign against Gaddafi. Speaking in Beijing, Guido Westerwelle told reporters that "the Libyan situation cannot be resolved by military means". He added: "There can only be a political resolution and we must get the political process under way. That should begin with a ceasefire that Gaddafi must heed to allow the peace process to begin."

10.20am: Further to requests by Scottish prosecutors for questioning over the Lockerbie bombing, Moussa Koussa is being sought by families who lost relatives when a French plane was blown up in 1989. AP reports that Guillaume Denoix de Saint-Marc, head of an association representing victims' families, is urging French prosecutors to reopen the case with a view to questioning Koussa. A French court convicted six Libyans in absentia over the bombing of the UTA airlines flight over Niger that killed 170 people. Libya agreed to pay $170m (£106m) in compensation but has never accepted responsibility.

10.35am: A strictly unconfirmed report from AP concerning Mohammed Ismail, the senior Gaddafi envoy who has been in London holding confidential talks with British officials. The report quotes unnamed sources saying Ismail was not on a Gaddafi-mandated mission but was actually in town visiting relatives -- and when officials became aware they seized the opportunity to speak to him.

10.53am: The UN's special envoy to Libya Abdelilah al-Khatib is in the eastern city of Benghazi meeting rebel officials, Reuters reports. Rebel spokesman Salah Hedin said Khatib would spend four hours in Benghazi for talks following up on an international conference on Libya's future held in London earlier this week. The trip is Khatib's second to the country's rebel-held eastern territory after a visit to Tobruk 10 days ago.

11.34am: Dave Clark, a British reporter for the AFP news agency who was held alongside two colleagues for several days by Gaddafi's forces, has written an account of the physically and psychologically brutal treatment he experienced at the hands of his captors. Clark describes being slapped by interrogators and having his wrists bound so tightly he has still yet to recover sensation in one hand. The full article is posted on Facebook.

If the handcuffs had been the hardest physical torment, this final interrogation was the toughest psychological assault.
For an hour and a half I struggled to build a rapport with my unseen interrogator, who opened proceedings with insults, threats and a couple of mild slaps, but eventually turned insincere "good cop" when he felt he had enough material for my "confession".

11.49am: More on Mohammed Ismail's London visit from the Press Association, which repeats the unlikely claim that – as international fighter planes pounded his homeland and Gaddafi's regime continued to teeter on the brink -- the senior aide was in town visiting relatives. Tripoli has previously insisted Ismail was visiting his children who are being educated in Britain, but Foreign Office sources told the Guardian that the trip was strictly regime business.

11.53am: This photograph shows a rebel fighter test-firing his machine gun as he waits for his convoy to move out after refuelling at a staging post on the western outskirts of Ajdabiya.  

Photograph: Andrew Winning/Reuters

The rebels were regrouping on Friday in the hope of recapturing the oil town of Brega, to the west of Ajdabiya.

12.06pm: Katherine Marsh, the pseudonym of a journalist living in Syria, emails from Damascus where anti-government demonstrations are anticipated:

An air of tense anticipation hangs over Syria this morning. Damascus is once again heavily policed by security forces; shops are usually shut on Friday mornings but some have been shuttered over the last few days. There is widespread anger at Assad's failure to announce reforms in his speech on Wednesday.
Gatherings are likely to be large in Deraa and Latakia, but other places to watch include Banias, Homs and the Damascus suburb of Douma. I'm hearing that Kurds may well also come out in the north-east governorate of Hassakeh. They have held back so far for fear of allowing the government to frame it as Kurdish unrest. The government is clearly rattled -- this morning its official news agency announced a commission had been set up to look into granting citizenship to thousands of Kurds who were stripped of it by a census in 1962.
Syria's network of information activists are reporting that protesters have started to gather in Deraa as well as towns in the north-eastern province of Al Hassakeh. This includes Qamischli, a Kurdish stronghold on the border with Turkey. Protests today have been dubbed the "Friday of Martyrs" in remembrance of over 100 people believed to have been killed in the last two weeks.

12.31pm: Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been addressing a huge pro-government rally in Sana'a, as equally large demonstrations against his regime were held elsewhere in the city. "I swear to you that I will sacrifice my blood and soul and everything precious for the sake of this great people," he told thousands of supporters, Reuters said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Yemnis were crowding into the city's main square calling for an end to Saleh's 32-year rule. AP said soldiers have joined the protesters, setting up checkpoints around the square to keep out the president's loyalists.

12.55pm: This is Tom Finn reporting from Sana'a where pro- and anti-government protests are continuing. He said there were so far no signs of clashes between the two sides despite increasing polarisation between the two camps.

Opinions are sharp in Yemen. It's reached the stage now where you're either for or against the president. A few weeks ago there were a lot of people who were very indifferent to the whole thing, but now these two sides are both growing.

Listen!
Finn says the anti-government protests have been peaceful so far, but there are growing calls within their camp to march against Saleh's supporters in the face of increasing defiance from the president.

1.01pm: Some details emerging from the prime minister's spokesman about negotiations with figures from the Gaddafi regime. He said the British government "will not be doing any deals" with any Libyan defectors despite fresh claims of contacts with current and former Gaddafi officials. David Cameron's official spokesman said: "If people are in the UK they are subject to UK law." He also refused to discuss what other senior Libyan figures the government had contacted, adding that Moussa Koussa's legal status in the UK was not something he could set out.

He also made clear that Saif Gaddafi will be classed the same way as his father, saying "we have a very clear view about the present regime and those people involved in that regime". He also confirmed Moussa Koussa was in a secure location but refused to say where.

1.07pm: AP is reporting that the Libyan rebels are willing to agree to a ceasefire if Gaddafi withdraws his military forces from cities and permits peaceful protests against his regime. It said Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the head of the rebel interim governing council in Benghazi, made the announcement in a joint press conference with the UN envoy to Libya.
He said the condition for ceasefire is "that the Gaddafi brigades and forces withdraw from inside and outside Libyan cities to give freedom to the Libyan people to choose and the world will see that they will choose freedom".

1.11pm: More details from Katherine Marsh in Damascus:

Activists and diplomatic sources say there are protests currently being held in the following places: Deraa, Latakia, Banias, Douma and the Kafersouseh area of Damascus in addition to the Kurdish north-east. Tear gas is reportedly being used to disperse people in Douma. There are also reports of pro-Assad rallies taking place in Damascus and beyond.
Worth adding that reports circulating that the government declared today a work day to avoid protests are untrue.

1.17pm: Media in the Netherlands are reporting the violent death of a Dutch oil worker in Libya. The GPD press agency said the man was killed when Gaddafi loyalists attacked his compound, detaining two other Dutch colleagues for two days and looting property. The report did not say where the attack took place. Thanks to Kerfuffling for flagging this report up.

1.31pm: Details of fresh fighting in the besieged western port of Misrata where Gaddafi's forces are said to be mounting an intense artillery bombardment against rebels, attacking shops and homes. "They used tanks, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar rounds and other projectiles to hit the city today," a rebel spokesman in the city told Reuters. "It was a random and very intense bombardment. We no longer recognise the place. The destruction cannot be described."

AFP earlier reported that a "rusting fishing trawler" had reached Misrata carrying food and medical supplies from Malta. It said the aid was provided by Libyan diaspora groups and international humanitarian agencies.

1.44pm: Al-Jazeera's correspondent Sue Turton in Brega reports that rebel forces appear to be assembling a more cohesive force than has been seen in recent days. But she says that despite improvements to discipline and co-ordination they still have some way to go.
"They sent spotters out on the flanks before moving a unit forward," she said. "It worked for a while before the more excitable rushed forward.
"Mortars obliterated one car and damaged two others. These rookie soldiers are learning the hard way."

1.59pm: Katherine Marsh, reporting for the Guardian from Syria, says activists there are reporting that thugs are attacking protesters in Douma.

This suburb of Damascus is turning into a hot spot today. Several credible sources report that earlier security forces shut doors to mosques, including Damascus's Omayyad mosque, and allowed only small groups out at a time to prevent large crowds gathering.
Meanwhile, Syria seems to have gone into overdrive in announcing moves to appease protesters. As well as the commission to look into Kurdish citizenship mentioned earlier, the state news agency SANA is reporting the establishment of two committees to look into the "incidents" in Deraa and Latakia. Mohamed Radwan, an Egyptian-American detained by the authorities has just been released according to tweets by family members.
The first videos of today's protests - which the Guardian is unable to independently verify - are posted on the Syria Revolution Facebook site.

2.21pm: Reuters is reporting that Syrian security forces and President Bashar al-Assad loyalists attacked protesters with batons as they left the Rifaii mosque in the Kfar Sousseh district of Damascus after Friday prayers.

A witness told the news agency that at least six protesters were arrested and dozens where beaten as they made their way out of the mosque.

2.54pm: The BBC has been speaking to a doctor in eastern Libya who claims that seven civilians were killed and 25 hurt in a coalition air strike on a pro-Gaddafi convoy yesterday.

Dr Suleiman Refardi said Wednesday's raid happened in the village of Zawia el Argobe, 15km (9 miles) from Brega.
The strike hit a truck carrying ammunition, and the resulting explosion destroyed two nearby homes.
All the dead were between the ages of 12 and 20, Dr Refardi said. Nato says it is investigating the claim.

3.21pm: Reuters reports at least three people have been killed during demonstrations in the Damascus suburb of Douma. It quoted witnesses saying the three were among 2,000 people who had been chanting pro-democracy slogans when security forces opened fire to disperse the crowds.

3.34pm: This photograph shows the remains of a Katyusha rocket launcher in Benghazi. Rebel leaders in the rebel capital on Friday said they were willing to agree a ceasefire if Gaddafi withdrew his forces from government-controlled cities. (See our 1:07pm post).  

Photograph: Maurizio Gambarini/EPA

It was unclear if the rebel truce offer was part of any broader diplomatic effort to end the conflict now dragging into its second month despite international air strikes.

3.52pm: Details from the front line of fighting in eastern Libya have so far been hard to come by on Friday, apparently because opposition fighters have reportedly begun limiting access to journalists – a move that perhaps indicates a wider effort to impose order on the undisciplined rebel force. There are reports if checkpoints being set up at the western gate of Ajdabiya, roughly 60 miles north-east of Brega -- the oil town believed to be the current focus of clashes with Gaddafi's troops. Reuters said the checkpoints were also being used to screen volunteers heading to the front line, restricting those without weapons.

4.08pm: My colleague Laura Oliver has located two YouTube videos purporting show protests in the Syrian cities of Daraa and Latakia. Both are short, but appear to feature peaceful scenes of demonstrators parading through streets, banners aloft, chanting loudly

.

5.55pm: This is Ben Quinn taking over updates to the blog now.

5.57pm: Seven civilians were killed and 25 were hurt in a coalition air strike on a pro-Gaddafi convoy in eastern Libya, according to a BBC report based on an interview with a doctor who says he was there.

Dr Suleiman Refardi told the BBC that the raid on Wednesday happened in the village of Zawia el Argobe, about 15km from the eastern city of Brega.
Two homes were said to have been destroyed when the strike hit a truck carrying ammunition. All the dead were between the ages of 12 and 20, he said.
Nato is investigating the claim.

6.23pm: Libyan rebels sought win fresh foreign confidence and support today by moving the first soldiers in what it describes as a newly trained army, my colleague Chris McGreal reports from Benghazi.

In an attempt to finally bring order to its chaotic military campaign, the rebel leadership introduced the first of newly trained troops toward Brega, which was seized by the government earlier this week, and hauled up rocket launchers.
They were also seen to have new radio and other communications equipment which the leadership was appealing to foreign governments to provide just a few days ago.
The newly uniformed soldiers included officers who, the rebels said, would establish firm lines of command in an attempt to end the shambolic confrontations in which the revolutionaries have only been able to move forward under the cover of western air strikes and have been unable to hold ground because they lack plans for defence.
The rebels began screening which of the ill-disciplined civilian volunteer fighters would be permitted to go toward the front line in order to stop the scenes of large numbers of them charging forward without order and then retreating en masse under fire.

7.05pm: To Syria now, and two Americans detained at the outbreak of political unrest there have been released after two weeks in custody, the Associated Press news agency reports.

The Americans, a Vermont college student studying Arabic in Syria and an engineer from Texas who had been working in the country, were arrested while taking photographs of demonstrations on March 18, according to Syrian state media.

7.16pm: Staying with Syria for the moment, and reports are coming in that a girl has been killed after crowds in Douma and Homs were fired on.

The Syrian state news agency (SANA) is blaming "armed groups" for the shooting. Authorities have been using this formula of words for a while to describe the violence of recent weeks, which demonstators and others have blamed on the security forces themselves.
@Arab_Spring, for one, isn't impressed:

The art of telling LIES: Syrian News Agency: armed groups open fire on Syrian citizens and security forces in Douma and Homs, killing a girl

7.26pm: The Syrian state news agency (SANA) agency is now reporting that several people were killed and wounded, during the shooting in Douma and Homs, according to Reuters.

"An official source said an armed group took to the rooftops of some buildings in Douma after midday and opened fire on hundreds of citizens gathering in the city and on security forces," said SANA
"In the city of Homs, an armed group opened fire on a gathering of citizens in the Bayyada district, which resulted in the death of a girl," it added.

7.34pm: Thousands of Syrians shouting "We want freedom!" have been on the streets of cities today, according to the latest wrap of events there from the Associated Press.

It has more on the violence in in Douma, where a number of people have reportedly been killed:

An activist in Douma, just outside the capital, said he and hundreds of others came under attack by security forces as they left the town's Grand Mosque, chanting slogans for freedom.
He said the troops hit people with clubs and threw stones before firing tear gas and finally live ammunition.
"I saw three people dead and six wounded," the activist said. "Douma's streets are now totally empty except for security forces of whom some are in plainclothes."
Other protests took place in the southern city of Daraa, which has become the epicenter for the protests.
Several eyewitnesses told The Associated Press by telephone that up to 5,000 people were marching in Daraa, shouting "We want freedom!" and "The blood of martyrs is not cheap!"

8.07pm: It's time for a summary of events today.

• Colonel Gaddafi's regime has dispatched one of its most trusted envoys to London for confidential talks with British officials. The visit by Mohammed Ismail, a senior aide to Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam, is one of a number of contacts between Libyan officials and the west, a possible indication the regime may be looking for an exit strategy.

• Scottish prosecutors are seeking to interview Moussa Koussa, the Libyan foreign minister and former spy chief who defected to Britain, about the Lockerbie bombing. The request from Scotland's Crown Office comes as opposition rebels in Libya are demanding Koussa be returned to stand trial for murder and crimes against humanity.
• Seven civilians were killed and 25 hurt in a coalition air strike on a pro-Gaddafi convoy yesterday, it was claimed today.
The claim was made by a doctor who spoke to the BBC from eastern Libya, where he said that the raid hit a truck carrying ammunition, and the resulting explosion destroyed two nearby homes in the village of Zawia el Argobe, 15km (9 miles) from Brega.
• There have been unconfirmed reports that several more Gaddafi officials have defected in the wake of Koussa's flight to Britain. Al-Jazeera cited reports saying Mohammad Abu Al Qassim Al Zawi, a senior government figure, and leading oil official Shokri Ghanem had defected, however Reuters said Ghanem had denied the claim. Meanwhile, Ali Abdussalam Treki, appointed by Gaddafi as UN ambassador, refused to take up the post, condemning the "spilling of blood in Libya".

• Security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Syria two days after President Bashar al-Assad delivered an uncompromising address aimed at restoring rigid order in a country that rarely witnesses dissent.
At least three people were killed and scores more injured as thousands protested across the nation on a day dubbed the "Friday of Martyrs".

• Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has signalled he has no plans to step down as huge rival demonstrations swept through the capital, Sana'a.
Saleh's display of defiance, in which he said he would sacrifice everything for his country, followed weeks of youth-led anti-government protests, as well as a string of defections by generals last week that analysts say had him on the brink of resignation.

India keep alive a billion dreams

India's Munaf Patel (2nd R) is congratulated by teammates including Virender Sehwag (R) after taking the wicket of Pakistan's Abdul Razzaq (L) during their ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 semi-final match in Mohali March 30, 2011. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

• Sri Lanka set up dream finale for Muralitharan

• Pakistani students pray for victory over India

By Amlan Chakraborty, Reuters

MOHALI, India (Reuters) - India kept alive a billion dreams after sinking Pakistan in their World Cup semi-final on Wednesday to set up an all-Asian final against Sri Lanka.s.

Sehwag, however, took it all in his stride as he blasted 21 runs off an Umar Gul over, a shock the Pakistani pace spearhead could not recover from in the remainder of the match.

India, however, could not make the most of the start and Wahab Riaz's maiden five-wicket haul restricted them to a total that would not have been possible but for Suresh Raina's unbeaten 36-run cameo down the order.

Pakistan were off to a decent start too but while the likes of Mohammad Hafeez (43) and Asad Shadiq (30) got the starts, they could not convert it into big knocks.

Down the order, Misbah (56) came out with some lusty hits but lack of partnerships meant by then the game had slipped through Pakistan's fingers, just like one of those catches from Tendulkar that went begging.

"Lack of partnerships has been a problem for us right from the start of the tournament and it recurred today," Afridi rued after Pakistan once again succumbed to the jinx of never beating their arch-rivals in one-day cricket's biggest stage.

"We have invariably won matches where we had partnerships. Besides, our shot selection was very poor."

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)

Libyan rebels scatter, world mulls sending arms

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry launches a Tomahawk cruise missile, as it sails the Mediterrenean Sea on March 29 to support Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn. Loyalist forces overran the Libyan towns of Ras Lanuf, Uqayla and Brega, scattering outgunned rebels as world powers mulled arming the rag-tag fighters seeking to oust Moamer Kadhafi. (AFP/HO/Jonathan Sunderman)

• Coping with Libyan life under the shadow of war

• Tense mood as Libyan migrants land on Italian isle

• Mother "offered cash" if Libya woman changes story

• Global powers must offer Gaddafi exit route: analysts

By Marc Burleigh, AFP

AJDABIYA, Libya (AFP) - Loyalist forces overran the Libyan towns of Ras Lanuf, Uqayla and Brega on Wednesday, scattering outgunned rebels as world powers mulled arming the rag-tag fighters seeking to oust Moamer Kadhafi.

AFP reporters and rebel fighters said Kadhafi's troops swept through the oil town of Ras Lanuf, 300 kilometres (185 miles) east of Kadhafi's hometown Sirte, soon after dawn, blazing away with tanks and heavy artillery fire.

Panicked rebels called for coalition air strikes on Kadhafi's forces as they fled in their hundreds eastwards through Uqayla, where they briefly regrouped, then on to Brega, where they also halted temporarily before charging to the main city of Ajdabiya, 120 kilometres away.

"We want two things: that the planes drop bombs on Kadhafi's tanks and heavy artillery; and that they (the West) give us weapons so we can fight," rebel fighter Yunes Abdelghaim told AFP.

The 27-year-old, who was holding a Russian AK-47 assault rifle and French flag, said it seemed as if the coalition had halted its air strikes for two days coinciding with a London conference on the Libyan crisis.

"We want the French to bomb the (Kadhafi) soldiers," said another fighter, Ali Atia al-Faturi, as the sound of shelling and gunfire grew louder.

By nightfall, the town of Brega, which also has an oil refinery, was in the hands of loyalists, rebels said, and the sound of artillery fire could be heard on the outskirts of Ajdabiya.

Angry mumblings against French President Nicolas Sarkozy, hitherto seen as the rebel's principal protector, were heard.

"Why aren't they bombing? We've heard things like Sarkozy is backing out of this situation," said Abdullah Shwahdi, a 25-year-old fighter.

On Tuesday the rebels came within 100 km of Sirte before encountering fierce resistance which reversed an advance launched when Britain, France and the United States started UN-mandated air strikes on March 19.

The ceding of almost all the flat, arid terrain the rebels had taken control of just five days ago was an unplanned, almost panicky affair.

Talk by the rebel Transitional National Council in its Benghazi stronghold of a "tactical retreat" was clearly hollow. The insurgents -- most of them overconfident young men with no military training or discipline whatsoever -- know nothing of tactics.

As the insurgents were being routed, British Prime Minister David Cameron said in London the option of arming the rebellion had not been ruled out.

Asked in parliament what Britain's policy was on arming the rebels, given the existence of a United Nations arms embargo on Libya, Cameron replied: "We do not rule it out but we have not taken the decision to do so."

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe had set the tone at a London conference on Tuesday when he said France is prepared to hold discussions on delivering arms to the rebels.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said however Moscow believed that foreign powers did not have the right to do this under the mandate approved by the UN Security Council.

Belgium, too, voiced its opposition to sending arms to Libya, warning that the move could alienate Arab nations.

And in Beijing, China's President Hu Jintao warned French President Nicolas Sarkozy that air strikes on Libya could violate the "original intention" of the UN resolution authorising them if civilians suffer.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that although UN sanctions prohibit the delivery of arms to Libya, the ban no longer applies.

"It is our interpretation that (UN Security Council resolution) 1973 amended or overrode the absolute prohibition on arms to anyone in Libya, so that there could be a legitimate transfer of arms if a country should choose to do that," she said.

A spokesman for the rebel Transitional National Council, Mustafa Ghuriani, told reporters in the Benghazi "it would be naive to think we are not arming ourselves" to match the weaponry deployed by Kadhafi loyalists.

But he declined to confirm or deny that France and the United States were offering to supply arms, saying only that unspecified "friendly nations" were backing the rebels.

NATO's top commander revealed that there was no alliance representative on the ground in Libya to work with rebel forces and that he had no orders to supply the opposition with weapons.

Admiral James Stavridis also said the alliance was working to get a clearer picture of the opposition, amid intelligence reports showing "flickers" of a possible Al-Qaeda presence.

US President Barack Obama, who has laid out a moral imperative for protecting Libyan civilians caught in the battle, also said he did not rule out arming the rebels.

"I'm not ruling it out. But I'm also not ruling it in. We're still making an assessment partly about what Kadhafi's forces are going to be doing," Obama said.

Obama said the "noose" was tightening around the Libyan strongman, but noted that Kadhafi did not appear to be seeking to negotiate an exit from Libya yet, despite the bombardment of his forces.

But he added he believed Kadhafi would eventually quit.

"Our expectation is that as we continue to apply steady pressure, not only militarily but also through these other means, that Kadhafi will ultimately step down," he said.

Opening the London talks, Cameron said the air strikes were helping to protect civilians from "murderous attacks" by Kadhafi's forces especially in the western rebel-held town of Misrata.

"Kadhafi is using snipers to shoot them down and let them bleed to death in the street," Cameron told the conference.

A rebel spokesman reached by telephone in Misrata said Libya's third city, 214 kilometres (132 miles) east of Tripoli, had been blasted on Wednesday again by Kadhafi's forces, while a medic said 18 people were killed in fighting the previous day.

Libya crisis – live updates

Hillary Clinton speaks and David Cameron listens during the London Conference on Libya. Photograph: Getty Images

6.30pm: Good evening and welcome to our continuing coverage of the Libya crisis. Today, Britain hosted a conference on the future for Libya in London, while pro-Gadaffi forces made significant advances. You can read our earlier coverage here.

Here's a summary.
The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, says military strikes on Libya will continue until its leader Muammar Gaddafi complies with the terms of UN resolution 1973. She was speaking at the opening of the London Conference on Libya, at which the British prime minister David Cameron said Gaddafi is still in "flagrant breach" of United Nations security council resolutions and is allowing civilians to bleed to death in the streets of Misrata.
The US ambassador to the UN refuses to rule out arming Libyan rebels. In an interview with ABC television, Susan Rice said: "We have not made that decision, but we've not certainly ruled that out."
The interim national council, formed by opposition groups in Libya, says it will hold free and fair elections and draft a national constitution. It has set out "a vision of a democratic Libya". They have just finished holding a press conference in central London.
Live blog: recap
The Syrian cabinet has resigned as regime seeks to calm protests. The move is the latest concession by President Bashar al-Assad after more than a week of mass protests calling for more political freedom. It will not affect Assad, who holds the lion's share of power in the regime.
Iman al-Obeidi, the Libyan woman who burst into a Tripoli hotel telling western reporters she had been raped by Gaddafi's militiamen, now faces criminal charges herself. Her whereabouts are still unknown but spokesman Mussa Ibrahim said that charges had now been brought against her by some of the men she had accused.
Gaddafi's forces have attacked rebel fighters east of the Libyan leader's home town of Sirte prompting a panicked, chaotic retreat. Reuters said Gaddafi's forces used a "hail of machinegun and rocket fire" to drive the rebels back.
Shells explode around a column of rebel vehicles near Bin Jawad, Libya. Photograph: Finbarr O'reilly/Reuters

6.44pm: Our correspondent Chris McGreal has news on the advance of pro-Gaddafi forces along the coastal towns today. It seems the rebels have been forced to beat something of a retreat. Chris writes:

Muammar Gaddafi's forces launched a powerful counter attack against Libyan rebels, sending the revolutionaries fleeing from towns they took only two days earlier. The government launched its assault in defence of the politically and strategically significant town of Sirte after the rebels moved to within 45 miles under the protection of western air strikes.
Gaddafi's forces, bolstered by reinforcements sent to Sirte in recent days, launched a bombardment of the rebel positions with rockets and shells. Although the revolutionaries held their ground for a while around the town of Bin Jawad, they eventually broke and fled under the intense assault.
The government's army moved in to the town and then continued to press east for 20 miles or more on the main coastal road until they came within striking distance of Ras Lanuf. A fresh round of attacks on the road by Gaddafi's forces sent most of the rebels fleeing from the town which was left dangerously vulnerable.
Those two towns, along with others on the road to Benghazi, have changed hands several times since the beginning of the uprising two months ago.

6.47pm: There has been much debate about whether the coalition should arm the rebels. The British foreign secretary, William Hague, said after the London conference today that it was not one of the subjects of discussion. He said the issue "was not raised at the conference... and is not part of any agreement today".

But the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested that it would be legal to arm the rebels. She told a press conference at the Foreign Office: "It is our interpretation that [UN Security Council resolution] 1973 amended or overrode the absolute prohibition on arms to anyone in Libya, so that there could be a legitimate transfer of arms if a country should choose to do that."

7.07pm: There is much discussion in the US of al-Qaida's possible presence in Libya, which has been spurred today by Admiral James Stavridis, Nato's supreme allied commander for Europe, at a Senate hearing mentioning a "flicker" of al-Qaida or Hezbollah activity.

Reuters reports:

"We are examining very closely the content, composition, the personalities, who are the leaders of these opposition forces," Admiral James Stavridis, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and also commander of US European Command, said during testimony at the US Senate.
...
While Stavridis said the opposition's leadership appeared to be "responsible men and women" fighting Gaddafi, he said that "we have seen flickers in the intelligence of potential al-Qaida, Hezbollah. We've seen different things."
"But at this point I don't have detail sufficient to say there is a significant al-Qaida presence or any other terrorist presence," he said.
The Pentagon says it is not communicating officially with the Libyan rebels.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice disagreed that al-Qaida was involved in the rebel movement.
"I would like to think I'm reading much of the same stuff and no," Rice told Fox News when asked whether she had seen any evidence to support Stavridis' assessment.
"I think we can't rule out the possibility that extremist elements could filter into any segment of Libyan society and it's something clearly we will watch carefully for," she added.

7.20pm: US secretary of state Hillary Clinton was also asked about the presence of al-Qaida in Libya, and she responded that she had no specific information about rebel links to the group.

Clinton said "we don't know as much as we would like to know" about the opposition in Libya:

We're building an understanding, but at this time obviously it is, as I say, a work in progress.

7.30pm: Qatar's prime minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jabr al-Thani appears to be in favour of arming Libya's rebels if the coalition air strikes fail to maintain the protection of civilians, saying in London:

We have to evaluate the airstrikes after a while to see if it's effective. We are not inviting any military ground [forces] ... but we have to evaluate the situation because we cannot let the people suffer for so long, you know. We have to find a way to stop this bloodshed.

7.42pm: Add France's foreign minister Alain Juppe to the list of those favouring arming Libya's rebels. In London he said France was ready to discuss the subject with the coalition partners, but said the issue was not covered by the UN security council resolution. Nato peacekeepers patrol a town in Kosovo, 2008. Photograph: Valdrin Xhemaj/EPA

7.55pm: The use of coalition ground forces in Libya have been ruled out by the UN security council resolution – but what about a post-Gaddafi peacekeeping force?

Wired blogger Spencer Ackerman has comments by Admiral James Stavridis, Nato's supreme allied commander for Europe, at a Senate hearing in Washington:

During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Sen Jack Reed of Rhode Island asked Adm James Stavridis about Nato putting forces into "post-Gadhafi" Libya to make sure the country doesn't fall apart. Stavridis said he "wouldn't say Nato's considering it yet." But because of Nato's history of putting peacekeepers in the Balkans – as pictured above – "the possibility of a stabilization regime exists."

8.02pm: The coalition launched 22 Tomahawk missiles and flew 115 air strike sorties over the last 24 hours, the Pentagon has announced today in a summary of the latest military action. Iman al-Obeidi attempts to talk to journalists in Tripoli. Photograph: Mohamed Messara/EPA

8.16pm: CNN's Reza Sayah has just spoken to the mother of Iman al-Obeidi, the Libyan woman who burst into a Tripoli hotel on Saturday telling western reporters she had been raped by Gaddafi's militiamen.

Speaking from Tobruk, Iman al-Obeidi's mother says she hasn't heard from her daughter for three days and is furious at how the regime has treated her.
The mother said she last talked with her daughter on Sunday, who was then being kept in some kind of regime compound.

8.41pm: Reuters carries details of a report by Quilliam, a British think-tank, that rejects claims that al-Qaida is directly involved in the uprising in Libya:

Libya's rebels are not the anti-Western militants Muammar Gaddafi says they are, but worsening turmoil and killings of civilians by the West would help al Qaeda get a foothold, according to a British think tank.
Quilliam, a group that studies Islamists, said in a report that while Libya had jihadist groups, "they are nowhere near as powerful or as widespread as the Gaddafi regime has claimed".
"That said, the breakdown in Libyan government control over much of Libya, combined with the ongoing fighting in many parts of the country, clearly gives jihadists and extreme Islamists more scope than ever before to operate in Libya," it said.
It also said the amount of weapons becoming available in Libya as a result of the war was a serious cause for concern.

8.54pm: The see-saw battle along the Libyan coastline seems to be heading eastwards again, as most news organisations are reporting a flight by rebel fighters and the towns of Ras Lanauf and Bin Jawad are falling back into the hands of the pro-Gaddafi forces.

Meanwhile, CNN reports on the "carnage" within the embattled western city of Misrata.

Eyewitness says residents of al-brega fleeing east after Libyan army regains control of ras lanuf. #Libyaless than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhonebenwedeman
bencnn

9.18pm: CNN's Ben Wedeman tweets some bad news from Brega and Ras Lanuf.

9.35pm: The Guardian's Julian Borger and Chris McGreal (in Benghazi) pull together the suggestions that the US and Britain support arming Libya's rebels if air strikes fail:

At the end of a conference on Libya in London, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said for the first time that she believed arming rebel groups was legal under UN security council resolution 1973, passed two weeks ago, which also provided the legal justification for air strikes.
America's envoy to the UN, Susan Rice, said earlier the US had "not ruled out" channelling arms to the rebels.
The British foreign secretary, William Hague, agreed that the resolution made it legal "to give people aid in order to defend themselves in particular circumstances".
The west's main Arab ally, Qatar, also said providing weapons to Gaddafi's opponents should be considered if air strikes failed to dislodge him. The Gulf state's prime minister, Sheikh Hamad Al-Thani, said the effect of air strikes would have to be evaluated in a few days, but added: "We cannot let the people suffer for too long."

Due to technical problems we were unable to update this live blog, and it is now being closed. Here's a summary of the latest developments involving Libya:

• The latest reports suggest that pro-Gaddafi forces are fighting back and may have recaptured the town of Bin Jawad, with the lightly-armed rebels retreating back towards the towns of Brega and Ras Lanuf. In the west, the city of Misrata remains under heavy siege from Gaddafi's forces
• Barack Obama said in an interview that members of the Gaddafi regime were starting to recognise that "their days are numbered". He also described the opposition leaders that have met with US officials as "professionals, lawyers, doctors – people who appear to be credible"
• US, French and British leaders, along with Qatar, appear willing to supply arms to the rebel forces if the coalition's air strikes fail to dislodge Gaddafi's regime
• Admiral James Stavridis, Nato's supreme allied commander for Europe, told a US Senate hearing that the latest intelligence showed a "flicker" of al-Qaida or Hezbollah activity within the Libyan opposition but said there was not enough detail to be sure
• The coalition launched a further 22 Tomahawk missiles and flew 115 air strike sorties within the last 24 hours, the Pentagon revealed
• The mother of Iman al-Obeidi told CNN that she has not spoken to her daughter since Sunday, the day after she spoke out to journalists in Tripoli, and does not know where she is being held

Libya and Middle East unrest - 25 March

Rebel fighters burn uniforms of captured Gaddafi loyalists near Ajdabiyah

8.47am: Good morning and welcome to live coverage of Libya and unrest elsewhere in the Middle East, with protests expected in Syria and Yemen. I've just been on the phone to Chris McGreal in Benghazi, who says things are quiet and he doesn't expect much in the way of fighting or bombing as it's Friday prayers. But overnight there was a flurry of diplomatic activity over who should run the no-fly zone and other missions in Libya, as the US wants minimal involvement, preferring to hand things over to Nato.After six days' wrangling, agreement has been reached that Nato will take over the job of enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya.

Ian Traynor and Nicholas Watt have the details of the deal. Here's a flavour.

The US, Britain, France and Turkey agreed to put the three-pronged offensive – a no-fly zone, an arms embargo, and air strikes – under a Nato command umbrella, in a climbdown by France that accommodates strong Turkish complaints about the scope and control of the campaign.
The deal appeared to end days of infighting among western allies, but needed to be blessed by all 28 Nato member states. At the end of a four-day meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary general, said Nato had agreed to take command of the no-fly zone from the Americans. Disputes have raged at Nato HQ every day this week. Rasmussen contradicted leading western officials by announcing that Nato's authority was limited to commanding the no-fly zone, but he signalled there was more negotiation to come.
Under the scheme agreed, the transfer to Nato will take place by the latest in London on Tuesday, when the parties to the coalition against Gaddafi gather in London for a special "contact group" conference. French sources said the Benghazi-based Libyan rebel leadership would be in London to attend. The conference will consist of two meetings: a war council made up of the main governments taking part in the military action, as well as a broader assembly including Arab and African countries devoted to Libya's future.

9.16am - Yemen: While things look quiet in Libya today so far, Yemen is bracing itself for big protests. Witnesses say Yemeni forces are trying to prevent anti-government protesters from reaching the capital, Sana'a, for a demonstration to demand that President Ali Abdullah Saleh step down after three decades. Protesters hope the "day of departure" rally - modelled on Egypt - will bring a million people out. Witnesses tell AP that troops are manning checkpoints trying to identify protesters to bar them from the capital. Security forces, however, are allowing pro-Saleh demonstrators to enter the capital in buses.

9.26am: More detail is emerging of overnight air strikes near Ajdabiya, where Gaddafi troops have proved surprisingly resilient. France's army chief of staff, Admiral Edouard Guillaud, said a plane destroyed an artillery battery. Guillaud also says French forces destroyed a military base, a munitions depot and maintenance facilities in Libya's interior.

The British defence secretary, Liam Fox, says British Tornado GR4 aircraft launched a number of guided missiles at Libyan armoured vehicles.
"The Tornado aircraft launched a number of guided Brimstone missiles at Libyan armoured vehicles which were threatening the civilian population of Ajdabiya. Brimstone is a high precision, low collateral damage weapon optimised against demanding and mobile targets," said Fox.

9.37am - Yemen: As protesters gather in Yemen, the Wall Street Journal reports that President Saleh and General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, one of Yemen's most powerful military men but now on the side of the demonstrators, are hammering out a deal in which both men would resign within days.

Mr Saleh and Gen Ahmar were intent on preventing bloodshed and preserving stability, the people familiar with the negotiations said. Aides to both men said they understood that Mr. Saleh's continued rule is untenable. But the two men also agreed that his resignation can't happen until the details of a transitional governing council that would take his place.

9.44am - Bahrain: Besides Yemen and Syria, activists plan to hold protests in Bahrain as well despite a ban on public gatherings. Reuters reports, however, that Wefaq, the mainstream Shia opposition group, has distanced itself from the demonstrations.

"Wefaq affirms the need to protect safety and lives and not to give the killers the opportunity to shed blood," it said on Thursday.
Nine demonstrations appear to be planned, across different parts of Bahrain, including one headed toward the airport and one that aims to "liberate" Salmaniya hospital. Security forces raided Salmaniya hospital in the crackdown, removing several tents set up by protesters in previous weeks. Doctors and human rights groups say strict security has hampered medical access and that four medical staff have been arrested.

10.06am - Yemen: Ahead of today's "day of departure" rally in Yemen, Amnesty International has expressed its concern over a new emergency law that grants security forces more powers.

"After the horrific killing of dozens of protesters last Friday, it is incredibly disturbing that Yemen's leaders have given the security forces more powers through a new emergency law instead of reining them in," said Philip Luther, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa deputy director. "The emergency law appears to be a desperate attempt to reinforce mechanisms to stamp out dissent and shut out witnesses to human rights abuses."

Amnesty has also called for an immediate halt to the use of "excessive force" by Syrian security forces after reports that more than 100 were killed in protests in the southern city of Deraa on Wednesday. Katherine Marsh (a pseudonym) reported on public outrage over the government's brutal response in today's Guardian.

10.15am: Unicef, the UN body that deal with children's rights, has expressed its alarm over the impact of the unrest on young people and calls "for all the parties to take all possible measures to protect civilians." It doesn't go as far as Amnesty in putting the onus of governments though.

10.30am: More on the UAE contribution to operations in Libya from AP.

Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan says the UAE committed six F-16s and six Mirage aircraft to "participate in the patrols" over Libya. His comments were published by the state-run Wam news agency on Friday. Qatar, which has sent two planes, is expected to start flying air patrols by this weekend.

10.40am: Some interesting lines from a Reuters round-up of Libya, particularly suggestions that members of Gaddafi's circle are putting out feelers on a ceasefire or safe passage.

Messages seeking some kind of peaceful end to UN-backed military action or a safe exit for members of Gaddafi's entourage have been sent via intermediaries in Austria, Britain and France, said Roger Tamraz, a Middle Eastern businessman with long experience conducting deals with the Libyan regime.
At the UN, envoys said Sudan had quietly granted permission to use its airspace to nations enforcing the no-fly zone. Sudan's UN ambassador, Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman, neither confirmed nor denied that report.
South of the Sahara, local media quoted a cabinet minister as saying Uganda would freeze Libyan assets worth about $375m in line with a UN resolution imposing sanctions on Libya following Gaddafi's violence crackdown.

10.42am: A Danish F-16 fighter lands at Sigonella airbase in Italy Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images

11.09am - Yemen: President Saleh of Yemen has told thousands of supporters in Sana'a that he was prepared to hand over power but only to what he described as "safe hands". This from Reuters. It's unlikely to satisfy the opposition, who want him out immediately.

"We don't want power, but we need to hand power over to safe hands, not to sick, resentful or corrupt hands ... We are ready to leave power but only for safe hands," Saleh said in the speech shown on state TV, as tens of thousands of his opponents protested in another part of the capital. "We are against firing a single bullet and when we give concessions this is to ensure there is no bloodshed. We will remain steadfast and challenge them with all power we have."

11.23am: There is no security presence in the southern Syrian city of Deraa for the first time since Friday when protests began in a move to reduce tension. Checkpoints have been dismantled, but AP reports that journalists have not been allowed in the old city.

"As you can see, everything is back to normal and it is over," an army major, standing in front of the ruling Baath party head office in Daraa, told journalists before they were escorted out of the city.

11.37am: A source in Libya has emailed about plans for a "peace convoy" from Tripoli to Benghazi. The person says the opposition fear this is a stunt by Gaddafi. If they are peaceful demonstrators and some get killed along the way, the rebels will get the blame, or the convoy is a ploy to send troops towards Benghazi. The Guardian cannot confirm whether such a convoy is planned.

12.17pm: The African Union has called for a transition period in Libya that would lead to democratic elections. The head of the AU told a meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that a consensus was possible. Libyan officials and representatives of the rebels are reported to be in Addis. This from AP.

African Union commission chairman Jean Ping said in an opening speech that the AU favours an inclusive transitional period that would lead to democratic elections. Ping stressed the inevitability of political reforms in Libya, and said that he believes a consensus can be reached. He called the aspirations of the Libyan people "legitimate."
"We are convinced that there is enough base to reach a consensus and find a durable solution in Libya," he said.

12.44pm: Syria Syrian security men seized dozens of people who staged a brief pro-democracy march in Damascus, Reuters reports, while thousands of protesters in Deraa have been chanting slogans denouncing Maher al-Assad, the president's brother.

12.53pm - Syria: Our contact in Damascus has just emailed about the tense mood in the city before Friday prayers.

Damascus's streets were quiet as this morning, as they usually are before Friday prayers. However, there is a increased sense of tension - as well as plain clothed security agents who have been a feature of the streets for the week.
Big protests have been called for today across the country. I have not yet witnessed any but half an hour ago, groups of pro-Assad supporters - a feature of the past few days - drove round Damascus waving flags and photographs of the president.
After the pledges to consider reform made by the government early yesterday evening, Syrians across the country were at home last night processing what they meant and whether it changes the game today. "I do not think it will be enough; anger rose at the killings in Deraa and these announcements - which didn't offer anything solid - may have only added to that," said one man late last night.

12.59pm - Bahrain: Anti-government protesters in Karzakan, Bahrain. There are tweets of police dispersing protesters in Dair, Sitra, Duraz. Photograph: Hasan Jamali/AP

1.59pm: The Guardian's Ian Black has been on the line from Tripoli, filling me in a trip organised by the Libyan authorities to emphasise - not very convincingly - the extent of civilian casualties from the air strikes. This is what he told me.

Libyan government minders took a bus load of journalists to Tajura east of Tripli today where we saw a house in a rural area with a big garden. There was apparent damage caused by a missile which had landed in the garden. There were fragments of a US air-to-surface missile. A window and some furniture had been broken. According to the father, his 18-year-old daughter was injured and taken to hospital. What was difficult to understand was the link between the rocket fragments and the damage, there were also bullet holes on the wall. The general feeling was that something certainly had happened and it was an effort to underline how civilians have been victims of "colonial aggression". Surprisingly, however, we have not been taken to any hospitals. I don't doubt there have been some civilians casualties with thousands of missiles fired, but there has been no evidence of deaths to civilians on a large scale. We spent a good hour at the house but we sped by a building at a military installation that had been flattened by a missile and a radar installation on a sand dune that was completely destroyed, now a charred hulk. But there was not a word on that.

2.05pm: This is what the Foreign Office has to say about the move by the United Arab Emirates to send warplanes to take part in the no-fly zone operation.

The UAE's decision to contribute 12 planes to the no fly zone operation is evidence of the real and tangible Arab role, building on the leadership the Arab League as a whole showed when they originally led calls for a no fly zone over Libya.

2.08pm - Syria: More from our contact in Syria on demonstrations in Damascus and Aleppo. Worth adding that the mosque is a huge tourist attraction so it must be embarrassing for the authorities that a call for freedom is coming from this landmark.

Eyewitnesses told the Guardian that around 200 anti-government protesters were dispersed from the Omyyad mosque in Damascus this morning. Similar to last week, a call for "freedom" came from someone inside the mosque which was then entered at by pro-Assad supporters and security forces. Security forces used rough treatment - beating and arresting at least two, witnesses said. Other worshippers quickly left the mosque. In Aleppo, contacts said again only 200 anti-government protesters were seen, contrary to some reports. The gathering was quickly broken up and replaced by hundreds of supporters of the president, Bashar al-Assad.

3.18pm - Syria: Syrian troops have opened fire on protesters in the restive southern city of Deraa according to vivid new reports coming from AP.

The troops started shooting on the crowds after they set fire to a bronze statue of the country's late president, according to a resident on the scene.
Tens of thousands of Syrians were taking to the streets across the country in the most widespread civil unrest in years, defying crowds of government backers and baton-wielding security forces to shout their support of the uprising in Daraa, according to witnesses, activists and footage posted online.
Thousands flooded Deraa's central Assad Square, many from nearby villages, chanting "Freedom! Freedom!" and waving Syrian flags and olive branches, a resident told The Associated Press by telephone.

3.25pm - Yemen: Anti-government protesters in Yemen demand the resignation of President Saleh in Sana'a, Yemen. Photograph: Muhammed Muheisen/AP

3.30pm - Bahrain: Security forces in Bahrain quickly snuffed out small protests in Manama, Reuters reports.

Helicopters buzzing overhead, extra checkpoints erected on major highways and a large troop presence prevented any major demonstration from kicking off in the small Gulf Arab island kingdom.
A few hundred protesters managed a short rally in the Shia village of Diraz, shouting "down with the regime" as women swathed in black waved Bahraini flags and held up copies of the Quran. But they fled when when around 100 riot police fired tear gas and tried to chase them down.
In the village of al-Dair, police fired rounds of tear gas to disperse around 100 protesters who had marched toward a main road next to a runway at Bahrain international airport.
Residents in nearby streets rushed women and children into their house as police continued to loose tear gas. They said police had also fired birdshot ammunition at protesters.

3.46pm: The Pentagon has been giving some details about the overnight strikes. It says the coalition fired 16 Tomahawk cruise missiles and flew 153 air sorties in the past 24 hours targeting Gaddafi's artillery, mechanised forces and command and control infrastructure.

Meanwhile a Nato official in Brussels said planning for Nato's no-fly operation assumed a mission lasting 90 days, although this could be extended or shortened as required. France said the war could drag on for weeks.
"I doubt that it will be days," Admiral Edouard Guillaud, the head of French armed forces, told France Info radio. "I think it will be weeks. I hope it will not take months."

4.02pm - Yemen: Tom Finn in Sana'a talks to us about the "day of departure" rally that is taking place in the city today. He says the numbers have been building over the five weeks of demonstrations.

"Another twin set of demos have seen hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters gather outside of the university and a similar number of pro government protesters elsewhere. The president for the first time gave a speech to protesters and reiterated his intention to give up power, but he didn't say when or to who."
Listen!

4.23pm - Yemen: Anti-government protesters carry the bodies of Mohammed Ahmed and Mujahed Abdul Haq, who were killed by security forces in Sana'a last Friday.  

Photograph: Muhammed Muheisen/AP

4.30pm: The US says Qatar has flown its first sortie to enforce the no-fly zone over Libya, according to AP.

A Qatar air force Mirage 2000-5 flew alongside a French Mirage 2000-5 fighter jet in a patrol Friday over Libyan airspace, the military said in a statement.
Qatar has deployed six Mirage fighters (rather than the two we mentioned earlier) and two C-17 transport jets to support the operation.

4.37pm - Yemen: Al Arabiya has posted an intriguing tweet of meeting between President Saleh and his top general.

Yemen president held meetings in past 48 hours with top army general who has defected to protestersless than a minute ago via webAlArabiya English
AlArabiya_Eng

4.44pm - Yemen: President Saleh tells supporters in Sana'a that he's willing to give up power, but as Tom Finn reported earlier he fails to say when or to who (4:02). Video from al-Jazeera English.

 

5.25pm: Our colleague, Mona Mahmood, has been scanning the Arab papers. Here is what some of them are saying:

Al-Shurouk, Egpytian newspaper

We know that the western states are interfering in Libya only out of fear on oil supplies and to keep prices stable. The proof is to compare Libya's case to Yemen.
The two presidents are not wanted but cling to power. They both used weapons against their people. But the western states were so upset with Libya and decided to bomb Gaddafi's military targets to topple his regime while no one cares about what the Yemeni president is doing although he killed more than 50 of his people by using snipers and hand grenades.
It is very clear Libya means oil for the west, Yemen does not mean that much.

Al-Sherq al-Awssat, Saudi newspaper based in London

The US administration which did not hesitate in demanding Gaddafi's dismissal, is not ready to force him to leave through a military campaign as it did with Saddam Hussein.
Gaddafi knows that American and European public opinion are not prepared for western forces to be sent to Libya or any Arab country after the experience in Iraq and Afghanistan and he is capable with his military and money to stand up to air strikes and sanctions.
The rebels might be able to keep control of Benghazi and the eastern part of the country but they can't enter Tripoli without foreign military support or a military coup.

Al-Itihad, UAE newspaper based in Dubai

Obama hopes that Gaddafi's forces will be defeated quickly, opening the way for a political solution. The hope is that Libya will get a new president or Gaddafi will be forced to leave the country, but what will happen if this is not achieved? What will happen if Gaddafi keeps fighting and uses his money to recruit mercenaries?
Without sending infantry troops, there will be no quick end to this war. The Libyan rebels would be in charge of the mission to end the war, but the problem is we do not know who these rebels are?

5.33pm: Here is our evening summary to close this live blog:

US authorities say that the coalition fired 16 Tomahawk cruise missiles and flew 153 air sorties in the past 24 hours. A Nato official said that the no-fly operation is set to run for 90 days, although this could be extended or shortened. The UAE has decided to send war planes to help enforce the no-fly zone.

President Saleh of Yemen has said on national television that he is willing to hand over power, but did not specify when or to whom. Separate demonstrations both for and against the government have been held in different parts of the city.
Syrian troops opened fire on protesters in the southern city of Deraa. Witnesses said there were several casualties. In Damascus, supporters of the Deraa protesters clashed with backers of the regime outside the historic Umayyad mosque.

Security forces in Bahrain quickly snuffed out small protests in Manama. In the village of al-Dair, police tear gas to disperse around 100 protesters who had marched toward a main road next to a runway at Bahrain international airport.