Libya Live

British, French and American forces fire 112 Tomahawk missiles in air strikes against Gaddafi's strongholds. Far from being cowed the Libyan dictator has announced that he is ready for a "long war".

By Laura Roberts 9:40AM GMT 20 Mar 2011

• More than 100 Tomahawk missiles fired by Coalition forcess
• RAF Tornado jets return to Britain after successful first mission
• No-fly zone already in effect US military chief claims
• Gaddafi describes Western air strikes as "terrorism"

Latest

13.14 David Cameron will chair another meeting of the government's emergency management committee Cobra later today, Downing Street says.

13.07 Richard Spencer has more on the UAE fighter jets on their way to Italy. He tells us:

A Dubai-based military analyst tells me that UAE fighter jets, presumably their F-16s, are on their way to Italy (as you've just highlighted). He points out that they are interoperable with the US, UK and French air forces having engaged on joint exercises with all of them. From 2009, UAE F16 crews took part in "Red Flag" joint training exercises in Arizona.

It is of course an irony that the UAE have come to the side of the rebels in Libya while they have also sent forces into Bahrain to help crush the uprising there.

13.00 Libya's government has begun distributing arms to more than one million people and will complete the operation within hours, the state news agency reports today. Jana news agency quoted sources in Libya's defence ministry as saying they "expected the operation to end in the next hours to arm more than a million men and women."

12.56 German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle dismissed allegations that Berlin is internationally isolated after refusing to join its NATO allies in staging military strikes on Libya. He said:

The impression that Germany is isolated in Europe or the international community is completely wrong. Many other countries in the European Union not only understand our position, not only respect it, but also share it.

12.54 A Libyan health official said the number of people killed as a result of Western air strikes overnight had risen to 64 from 48, a figure given by the government.

"People died from their wounds so the death toll has risen," said the official, who did not want to be identified. The figure could not be independently verified.

12.48 More information on the Arab input into Coalition airstrikes. Planes from the United Arab Emirates are expected to arrive at an Italian air force base today to take part in the operations over Libya, the ANSA news agency reported. The UAE, along with Jordan, Morocco and Qatar, was among Arab nations that took part in a summit in Paris on Saturday on the Libyan crisis. The Decimomannu base on the island of Sardinia is already hosting four Spanish F-18 fighter jets that arrived on Saturday. Commander of the base, Colonel Alfredo Nazzi, did not rule out the arrival of planes from other countries and said:

We are in a logistical phase and not yet operational, and the entire airport is now ready for future developments.

12.40 In response to claims by Gaddafi's regime that 48 civilians died in air strikes Liam Fox said:

I would imagine that's exactly what the regime would say. They will be engaged in a propaganda exercise. All our targeting is done to absolutely minimise, as far as is humanly possible, casualties. I am not at all surprised that's what the regime is saying."

He added: We are using some very specific types of weaponry designed to minimise any civilian casualties or other collateral damage.

12.39 British Typhoon and Tornado jets will fly to Italy so they are closer to Libya, Liam Fox said. The aircraft would leave their UK bases and fly to southern Italy so they are better placed to strike Libya and patrol the no-fly zone agreed by a United Nations resolution last week. Dr Fox told BBC1's Politics Show:

It's obviously easier if we have access to bases closer to where the targets are and where the no-fly zone is. We will be deploying later today or tomorrow Typhoons and Tornados to Gioia del Colle, a base in southern Italy.

12.33 The French navy flagship has set sale for Libya. The French continue to take a strong role in the Coalition military operation. French planes were the first to fire on Libyan government targets.

12.26 Defence Secretary Liam Fox said that last night's Tornado strike was supported by VC10 and Tristar air-to-air refuelling aircraft as well as E3D Sentry and Sentinel surveillance aircraft.

^{A rebel fighter flashes the victory sign as he walks through the scene of what residents said was a French airstrike against Muammar Gaddafi's forces} (^{Reuters/Finbarr O'Reilly)}

12.24 Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, has told ABC News that the air strikes have halted the advance of government troops on Benghazi, currently a rebel stronghold. He said:

They are no longer marching on Benghazi.

12.22 Russia will evacuate its embassy employees and citizens from Tripoli as US, British and French forces continue air raids in Libya, the Russian foreign ministry said.

12.18 A statement from the Pentagon on the US element of the air strikes carried out yesterday.

U.S. Navy Growlers provided electronic warfare support over Libya while AV-8B Harriers from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted strikes against (Gaddafi's) ground forces and air defenses.

12.13 Gaddafi's claim that the women of Libya are ready to fight has been called into doubt by Richard Spencer who is currently holed up in the journalist's hotel in Tripoli. (Government officials are keeping a tight rein over the movements of international journalists). He notes:

Meanwhile the girls who staff the coffee machines in the Rixos Lobby Cafe have not turned up to work. This discovery coincided with the Gaddafi speech in which he said that if the men were all killed the women would also fight to the death. This means either:

a. The coffee girls are at the munitions dump picking up their AK47s, or

b. The coffee girls thought it was too dangerous to come to work and may not be quite as bold as the leader says.

^{LEFT: French Dassault Rafale combat aircraft takes off from Saint-Dizier military base, eastern France, March 19, 2011, on a mission to overfly Libya. RIGHT: The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stout (DDG 55) as it launches a Tomahawk missile in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn from the Mediterranean Sea}

12.05 Rebels in Benghazi are in high spirits according to a report by Associated Press. Gaddafi's forces had previously reached the outskirts of the city but their guns appear to have fallen silent for now. Mohammed Faraj, 44, a former military man who joined the rebels, held a grenade in each hand as he manned a checkpoint on the outskirts of the city. He said:

Me and all of Benghazi, we will die before Gadhafi sets foot here again. Our spirits are very high.

11. 56 Richard Spencer tells us that journalists will be taken to a funeral by government officials today but that it is "too dangerous" to visit the hospitals and talk to victims.

Government spokesman tells us that there will be no visits to the hospitals or the sites of damage today. The reason given is that it is too dangerous for us, particularly now that "We are arming six million Libyans to fight to the death". We will instead be allowed to attend one of the funerals.

It is only supposition of course but one feels if civilian institutions had been hit and civilians killed and injured we would have been taken to see the evidence. The spokesman said reports that a hospital in Tajoura had been hit were still "unconfirmed".

The spokesman confirmed that the death toll was 48 across Libya, not just Tripoli. But he didn't break it down by region. He also repeated his leader's threats. "If Libya goes down then the whole Mediterranean goes down," he said. "Libya will be Hell."

^{Scenes of devastation on the outskirts of Benghazi, following a bombing raid by the UN-backed alliance on Gaddafi forces}

11.45 Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff has said that U.S. and allied forces have effectively established a no-fly zone over Libya and halted an offensive by Gaddafi's forces on rebels in Benghazi. He said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" program that the military operation was narrowly focused on carrying out a U.N. Security Council resolution and not intended to oust the Libyan leader. He said:

Operations yesterday went very well. Gaddafi hasn't had aircraft or helicopters flying the last couple days. So effectively that no-fly zone has been put in place.

11.41 First signs of Arab involvement in the No-Fly zone - Qatar and the UAE have provided aircraft although it is not clear yet in what capacity.

11.40 Pope Benedict XVI has appealed to political and military leaders to ensure "the safety of Libyan citizens and guarantee access to humanitarian aid".

11.38 Air Vice-Marshal Phil Osborn told a briefing in London:

We are entirely comfortable with the way last night's mission went in terms of success.

11.35 UN chief Ban Ki-moon says Gaddafi is feeling the "unified will" of the international community through the military campaign launched against his forces in Libya. He said:

He has been killing his own people. He declared that he will search house to house and kill all the people. That is unacceptable. My only hope is that the Libyan authorities should fully abide by the Security Council resolution, ceasefire immediately and take all measures to protect their population.

11.29 More from Damien McElroy in Tripoli who is negotiating the Gaddafi propaganda machine.

All the Libyan people are hot-blooded and armed, declares a government spokesman. Tripoli's streets are a dangerous cocktail of anger and bullets. The people want revenge for the airstrikes and missile attacks. Funerals of purported victims of the incidents are to be held later today and the atmosphere will be tense. While this is easy to say, there is no evidence for these assertions.

11.27 The brother of the rebel pilot, Fakhri Sallabi, who was shot down by rebel forces on Saturday has spoken in praise of his sibling. Wishing to remain anonymous, he said:

He saved lives of Benghazi. He was born for this day. This hero was born for this day. He is a super hero.

11.25 France is certainly not hanging back when it comes to contributing to the Coalition air strikes. The country is sending its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to Libya to bolster the West's air campaign against Moamer Kadhafi's forces, officials said. The French Navy's flagship is to sail from the southern naval port of Toulon at 1200 GMT, with 20 warplanes, most them Rafale and older Super Etendard combat jets, as well as helicopters and two E-2 Hawkeye surveillance aircraft.

The French official said the Charles de Gaulle was 24 hours by sea from the Libyan coast but would take 36 to 48 hours to get there after loading combat jets and conducting landing exercises. The aircraft carrier was to be escorted by three frigates - the anti-submarine Duplex, the anti-air Forbin and the multi-mission stealth Aconit - and the oil tanker La Meuse.The French naval group will be protected by a nuclear attack submarine.

11.16 UK forces targeted Libya's integrated air defence system yesterday, largely in the Tripoli area, according to an MoD briefing today. No further details were given.

11.15 French air operations are set to continue today as their planes remain in place.

11.11 Iran has warned Libya against the West's "colonial intentions" saying they were motivated by oil. Tehran has voiced support for the uprising against Gaddafi, part of what it considers an "Islamic awakening" in the Arab world. Despite this Iran expressed deep suspicion over Western military intervention in Libya. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted by students' news agency ISNA as saying:

The records and the actions of the dominant countries in occupying oppressed countries means their intentions in such moves are always in doubt.

11.09 William Hague has told Sky News that the support from the Arab League is crucial in taking action against Gaddafi. He said that in addition to providing financial support he expected some Arab countries to be "active military participants".

^{Libyan rebels drive through the deserted city of Benghazi}

10.59 The Telegraph's Rob Crilly is out and about around Benghazi. He reports:

Just been down the road that Gaddafi's tanks used to enter Benghazi. A few miles outside the city is a field of med and scrub still smoking with the impact of a huge airstrike. Tanks burning and ammunition exploding. There's no way the rebels could have had this impact. Must have been Nato jets.

10.52 The reality of air strikes for people on the ground are dramatically described by Jon Lee Anderson, based in Benghazi, in a blog for the New York Times. He writes:

Soon, the whole city seemed to be barricaded by men and boys and soldiers armed with anything they could find—Molotov cocktails and machetes, shotguns and Kalashnikovs and grenades. There were bombings, explosions, and booms not far away. In the morning, I saw a jet fighter shot down, which gave the day an epic feeling and buoyed spirits, until people began saying that it was not a government jet but a rebel one, probably brought down mistakenly by the rebels themselves. Then, in the evening, between 6 and 7 P.M., I saw the smoke cloud left behind by a French attack on Qaddafi’s tanks—the first coalition air strike.

10.47 The Telegraph's Damien McElroy describes Gaddafi supporters in Tripoli. His portraits are amusing as well as unsettling.

Gaddafites come in several shapes and sizes. There's the long serving male in boxy suit - and if he has hair - a Scouse style mullet. The hyper, bescarved woman who spits contempt at foreigners for lying about the Brother Leader. The smooth, foreign educated apparachik, generally unshaven and stocky, who tries to depict every twist of logic as a common sense response. The rich, well-connected sort who stands at a distance literally or metaphorically. The ululating cleaning woman who switches between zealous chanting and gales of tears. The earnest professional with a sincerity that belies the probability that he works as a secret policeman. And most sinister of all is the apparently menial aide who is in fact the most dedicated, ideologically driven champion of the Colonel.

^{The RAF's strike/attack role is performed by the tornado GR4}

10.35 We have footage of RAF planes setting off for their first air strikes on Saturday.

Tornados and Tomohawks begin Libya bombardment

10.32 Canadian jets have just been filmed arriving back at Tripani airfield in Italy, in footage on Sky News.

10.28 UK Foreign Secretary William Hague told BBC 5 live what was important about the UN resolution is that it allowed for more than just a no-fly zone. "It brought in other measures to protect the civilian population, so that makes it possible to attack forces that are threatening the people of Libya," he said.

Later he told Sky News that while the resolution did not allow for an "occupying force" in Libya it did not rule out certain specific missions.

10.23 New death toll: 94 people were killed in fighting against Gaddafi's forces in Benghazi, AFP reports. This follows a count of bodies in the city's morgue. At least 24 of those were rebel fighters and civilians.

10.20 India has expressed regret over the multinational air strikes on Libya, appealing in a foreign ministry statement for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. A statement said:

India views with grave concern the continuing violence, strife and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Libya. It regrets the air strikes that are taking place. The measures adopted should mitigate and not exacerbate an already difficult situation for the people of Libya.

10.17 Libyan rebel spokesman Mustafa Gheriani in Tobruk tells the BBC that Benghazi is "fairly safe", having taken a heavy pounding from pro-Gaddafi forces on Saturday. He says:

There's a few remnants of Gaddafi's embedded cells operating but for the most part they've been eliminated

10.05 ITV news presenter Mark Austin tweets:

Idea of military action is always more accaptable than reality. Will west and more imp Arab nations have stomach for it ??

10.00 More from the indefatiguable Richard Spencer in Tripoli:

It is not quite clear what sites were hit in the second raid in the middle of the night. Some correspondents say "near Bab al-Azizia Government Compound" but there was little sign of that this morning. It's in central-south Tripoli so "near there" covers a lot of possibilities. There was certainly a lot of firing back and the sound of explosions in the distance.

Gaddafi has just made another "phone-in" speech on state television. It mainly covered the outrages of Britain and the West and how we will once again be defeated in a long war.

Presumably he is not showing himself in person to keep everyone guessing on his current whereabouts.

09.58 Following claims from Libyan officials and state television that air strikes have led to the death of civilians George Osborne has stressed that "every precaution" has been taken to keep civilian bloodshed to a minimum. He told the BBC:

We should treat with some caution some of the things we see on Libyan state television. Because I know that our military planners are taking absolutely every precaution to try and avoid civilian casualities. The targets last night were very specifically military targets connected with the Libyan air defence system.

In an interview with BBC1's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Osborne was asked about the possibility of "mission creep", which might see Gaddafi hold onto power and pressure grow for ground troops to be sent in.

We are not considering ground forces at the moment. We are undertaking operations from our Navy, through the submarine-launched cruise missiles and the RAF and the Tornado planes that flew missions last night.

^{Col Gaddafi is defiant as missiles rain down on embattled Libya}

09.55 More from Gaddafi's latest telephone address via Libyan state television. He is promising "a long war" against the international military forces that have targeted his troops with airstrikes and dozens of cruise missiles saying he will not let up on the rebellion in the country's east.

He said he has opened up the weapons depots to Libyans, and said everyone is armed with "automatic weapons, mortars, bombs."

"We promise you a long war," he said in the address.

09.52 Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights organisation Liberty, said the current action was justified, but feared British ground forces could yet be sent to Libya. She told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show:

Clearly there is ethical justification now backed up with a UN resolution...There seems to be a lack of clarity about the difference between any ground forces at all, and an occupying force. This is difficult stuff we are getting into. It's not the long term that's difficult; it's potentially the medium term. What if aircraft by themselves are not enough to protect the Libyan people? What then at security council level and what then for British public opinion?

09.49 Gaddafi addressed his people yesterday calling Western air strikes an act of mad agression and demanding the world unite against them. Watch his address here: Muammar Gaddafi calls for World to unite against West

09.48 Speaking from Brazil Barack Obama confirms US involvement. He says:

Our consensus was strong, and our resolve is clear. The people of Libya must be protected and in the absence of an immediate end to the violence against civilians, our coalition is prepared to act and act with urgency.

Watch his full address here: Barack Obama: 'we cannot stand idly by'

09.41 Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, a commentator on Arab affairs, tweets details of Gaddafi's address this morning:

Gaddafi: We will destroy those who support you in Benghazi #Libya...Gaddafi: This is the greatest of hours, people clap for us when we defeat you. We are giving all Libyans weapons...Gaddafi: Benghazi will all protest, put up the Green flag, the women will protest against this Christian coalition...Gaddafi: We will be victorious, you will die

09.36 The Telegraph's Rob Crilly in the rebel stronghold Benghazi tweets:

Heavy downpour first thing and now the sun is shining. Benghazi looks like a city reborn #benghazi.

09.32 Gaddafi has just appeared on state television in the past few minutes describing Western air raids as akin to "terrorism". He says that his victory his inevitable and that all Libyans have now taken up arms.

09.30 Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani has defended his country's participation in military operations in Libya, saying the aim was to "stop the bloodbath." He told Al-Jazeera:

Qatar is participating in the military action because it is necessary for Arab states to take part. The situation is untenable in Libya... this is not a confrontation between protesters and police forces; it is an open war in which mercenaries are participating, and this must stop as soon as possible.

However, he also said the operation "is not directed against the Libyan people, nor against the colonel and his sons".

09.28 A Reuters correspondent saw rebels in several 4x4 pick-up trucks mounted with machine guns heading in the direction of the east Libyan town of Ajdabiyah today following Western air strikes. The correspondent reported seeing at least 14 dead bodies along the road.

09.26 Denmark has four fighter planes ready to join military operations against Libya on Sunday and is waiting for instructions from the United States, Defence Minister Gitte Lillelund Bech said.

We have given the control to the U.S. They will be leading the control of the operation. We are just waiting for a signal, and to be told what to do, where to do it and when to do it.

^{American destroyer USS Barry launches a Tomahawk missile at Libya}

09.18 Richard Spencer is in Tripoli and describes the city after a night's bombing.

Just driven through town - all quiet this morning. Same last night - I drove at midnight to the east of the town as far as the Mitiga military air base but could see no damage there or signs of ambulances. However there were multiple checkpoints on the road and we were eventually forced to go back to the hotel.

This morning we were told by our driver that the allies hit an anti-aircraft battery in the town of Tajoura - just to the east of the city boundary and ironically the site of the fiercest anti-Gaddafi demos in the capital. He said there were scores of casualties in the local hospital, which he had just been to. State television has also been showing pictures of the injured.

Journalists are being taken to see one of the hospitals in half an hour. This is all following the format of similar 'softening up' air raids in Baghdad in the 90s - on both sides. First take out the anti-aircraft sites, then attack the infrastructure - that is presumed to be coming tonight. But as then it is not clear to me how this translates into a strategy to force Gaddafi out of power unless, which must be possible, they target Bab al-Azizia, his compound, heavily risking large numbers of civilian casualties.

Meanwhile, at the Rixos Hotel, where journalists have been based, a crowd of pro-Gaddafi people in green bandannas were allowed in to shout slogans at journalists in the breakfast room. This contrasted with the lack of people on the streets outside.

09.12 An account of an apparently successful attack on Gaddafi forces by Reuters. Burned out military vehicles lined a strategic road in east Libya to the rebel-held city of Benghazi on Sunday after Western air strikes on the area, a Reuters correspondent said. Dozens of vehicles littered the route Gaddafi's forces used to advance on Benghazi from the hard fought over town of Ajdabiyah. Some looked like wrecked trucks with multiple rocket launchers. Reuters correspondent Mohammed Abbas said:

One tank has been bombed so hard that the turret has come off. A tank transporter, tank and an armoured personnel carrier are still smouldering.

09.10 Pro-Gaddafi snipers are positioned on the rooftops of rebel-held Misrata ready to fire on warplanes, AFP is reporting. A resident says:

Snipers are still stationed on three buildings in the main street of the town. They seem to be ready to fire at anything that moves ... Nobody dares pass through that street.

09.09 Armed men have detained the crew of an Italian ship in the Libyan port of Tripoli, the Italian news agency ANSA reports today. It says the crew comprised eight Italians, two Indians and one Ukrainian.

09.05 Oliver Miles, a former British Ambassador to Libya, says he has "grave misgivings" about the military action. He warns that it would be difficult to tell the difference between Gaddafi and rebel forces when both use much of the same military equipment. He told BBC News:

I can see why the British and other governments felt that they had to take action but I am not at all sure it was wise to do so. Obviously, it sounds fairly simple, for example, to attack tanks, but don't forget that the rebels have got tanks as well and they are Libyan tanks because the way they got the tanks was because parts of the Libyan forces defected to them.

Already we have had an incident yesterday in which a Libyan fighter plane was shot down apparently and it now seems that it was actually a plane being flown by the rebels. I do ask myself, with all the wonders of modern intelligence capability, satellite supervision and so on, how is someone sitting a long way away in Washington, or wherever the military decisions are taken now, going to be able to tell whether a tank is being driven by a pro-Gaddafi Libyan or an anti-Gaddafi Libyan?

09.00 In a brief audio message broadcast on state television Gaddafi fiercely denounced the Coaltiion attacks as a "barbaric, unjustified Crusaders' aggression." He vowed retaliatory strikes on military and civilian targets in the Mediterranean, which he said had been turned into a "real battlefield." Gaddafi warned:

Now the arms depots have been opened and all the Libyan people are being armed.

08.54 An AFP correspondent said bombs have already been dropped earlier this morning near Bab al-Aziziyah, Gaddafi's Tripoli headquarters, prompting barrages of anti-aircraft fire from Libyan forces that lasted about 40 minutes.

State television showed footage of hundreds of Gaddafi supporters who it said had gathered earlier to serve as human shields at Bab al-Aziziyah and at the capital's international airport. A Libyan official told AFP at least 48 people had died and 150 were hurt - mainly women and children - in the assaults, which began with a strike at 1645 GMT Saturday by a French warplane on a vehicle the French military said belonged to pro-Gaddafi forces. The deaths have not been verified. State television is showing emotive images of those claimed to have been injured in attacks in hospital.

08.40 First a look at the Sunday Telegraph's coverage in Libya.

British Forces Attack Gaddafi is a comprehensive look at how events unfolded.

Colin Freeman reports from Benghazi, in the east of the country, describing a "night of carnage". He witnessed the celebrations of rebel soldiers in the region as Western forces intervened. He looked on as they took their revenge on mercenaries hired by Gaddafi to fight against them. Disco dancing on the day of the dead in the capital of Free Libya is his extraordinary account.

Rob Crilly has a first person account of the exodus from Benghazi by thousands of civilians desperate to escape "as blasts of heavy artillery grow ever closer".

General Lord Richard Dannatt offers expert analysis on the Coalition mission and whether their actions will be "just in time" to save the rebel forces. He describes the "dynamic atmosphere of events in Paris, Tripoli and Benghazi" as "an open verdict at the moment". He cautions that regardless of the initial military success The real task for the world is to remove Gaddafi.

The Telegraph's Richard Spencer is in Tripoli. While witnessing the airstrikes around the Tripoli area, which is still in Gaddafi's control, he explains Why Gaddafi will fight to the bitter end.

Damien McElroy is also in Tripoli. He discusses the Gaddafi propaganda machine and attempts to frighten Libyans who oppose the Brother Leader by saying that tribal conflicts will tear the country apart if he is deposed.

08.30 Good morning and welcome to the Libya Live blog for March 20. The first air strikes by Britsh and American forces took place last night. A British Trafalgar class submarine and US navy ships and submarines fired 112 Tomohawk missiles at 20 targets. Meanwhile David Cameron has confirmed that three RAF Tornado jets are returning on a 3,000 mile round trip after completing a successful air strike mission. Defence Secratary Liam Fox has said the mission is the longest range mission by RAF Forces since the Falklands. Three B-2 stealth bombers from the United States also carried out air strikes against Gaddafi forces after they continued to attack civilians. They dropped 40 bombs on a Libyan airfield, US military officials revealed. French warplanes carried out four air strikes in Libya at 1645 on Saturday, destroying several armored vehicles the French military said.

Our team in Libya:

Rob Crilly

Damien McElroy

Richard Spencer

Colin Freeman

Libya crisis timeline

Libya as it happened: March 19

Libya as it happened: March 18
Libya as it happened March 10
Libya as it happened March 9
Libya protests: as it happened March 8
Libya protests: as it happened March 7
Libya protests: as it happened March 4
Libya protests: as it happened Mar 3

Qatar defends participation in Libya operations

Qatari PM: it is open war in which mercenaries are participating, and this must stop as soon as possible.

Middle East Online

In it DOHA - Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani on Sunday defended his country's participation in military operations in Libya, saying the aim was to "stop the bloodbath." An international coalition began strikes in Libya with combat jets and cruise missiles on Saturday, aiming to stop Libyan leader Moamer Gathafi from suppressing a revolt launched on February 15 against his rule. "Qatar is participating in the military action because it is necessary for Arab states to take part," Sheikh Hamad, who is also foreign minister, told Al-Jazeera satellite channel. "The situation is untenable in Libya... this is not a confrontation between protesters and police forces; it is an open war in which mercenaries are participating, and this must stop as soon as possible," Sheikh Hamad said. However, he also said the operation "is not directed against the Libyan people, nor against the colonel (Gathafi) and his sons. The important thing is to stop the bloodbath." Qatar is the only Arab state to have promised Saturday at an emergency meeting in Paris to participate in military operations in Libya. A United Nations diplomat said the United Arab Emirates would also participate, but this has not been confirmed. The United States has stressed the importance of Arab participation in the international effort.

Bahrain king pledges reforms

Opposition groups demand establishment of right environment to start political dialogue with government.

Middle East Online

By Ali Khalil - MANAMA

Bahrain's king pledged to bring reforms on Saturday, while another demonstrator was confirmed to have died after a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, as international calls mounted for restraint. "I shall not allow any faltering of the reform process which I began when I took the reins of power," King Hamad said in a statement on the official BNA news agency. "The door is open on any subject that is in the interest of all the citizens," he said. Opposition groups demanded Saturday "the establishment of the right environment to start political dialogue" without clarifying if their demand for the government to resign has been dropped. Meanwhile, the body of protester Issa Abdali Radhi, who had been missing since clashes Tuesday in the Shiite village of Sitra, south of Manama, was found in Manama's Salmaniya hospital morgue, his brother Jalil said. "My other brother went and confirmed that it is him," he said on Saturday, adding that the medical report showed that Radhi, 47, was "killed by gunfire." The funeral of Ahmed Abdullah, who was shot at a protest west of Manama on Wednesday, was held on Friday, opposition MP Mattar Mattar said, adding that security forces had prevented Abdullah from being taken to Salmaniya hospital for treatment. Bahrain faces mounting international pressure to exercise restraint and ensure the safety of jailed opposition leaders. On Friday, the United States said it was "deeply troubled" by the arrest of several opposition figures and activists. "We call on the government of Bahrain... to abide by its commitment to transparent judicial proceedings conducted in full accordance with Bahraini law and Bahrain's international legal obligations," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner. Washington also called on Bahraini "security forces to cease violence, especially on medical personnel and facilities," and observe "maximum restraint," he said, also calling on protesters to "engage peacefully." The government has launched a bloody crackdown to stop Shiite-led protests, declaring martial law and rounding up dissidents at gunpoint in midnight raids. And on Saturday, BNA reported that Bahrain Defence Forces have banned maritime activity in various areas of the Gulf archipelago's waters at night until further notice. But it reduced curfew hours in parts of Manama's business district and the government called on public sector employees and teachers to return to work from Sunday while students will remain home until further notice. The return to work comes despite the continuation of a general strike called for by Bahrain's main trade union in protest at the violent repression of protests. Traffic in central Manama got close to normal levels during the day, but only police and army patrols were moving at night as the curfew started. Opposition groups urged authorities on Saturday to release political prisoners and "reveal the whereabouts of the missing and detainees", holding the "government responsible for their safety." The alliance of six groups, including the main Shiite party Al-Wefaq, also called for "an immediate stop to sieges and attacks targeting hospitals" and the withdrawal of "armed militias" from the streets. Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa said Friday that dialogue "under current tensed conditions... cannot take place" and that "priority is for security and stability." Crown Prince, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad, under the auspices of his father King Hamad, offered the opposition an open dialogue after a deadly crackdown on protests last month instigated a sit-in at Manama's Pearl Square. Five people were killed on Wednesday, including two police, as security forces dispersed the crowd at Pearl Square, after a Saudi-led military contingent entered the Sunni-ruled Gulf state to back up the regime. Thousands of the Shiite-majority community protested in villages on Friday as riot police and army, backed by the joint Gulf force, kept tight control of the country ruled by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty. The violence in the strategic Gulf state sparked furious condemnation from Shiite power Iran, Shiite leaders in Iraq, the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, and Shiite protesters in nearby Saudi Arabia. Protesters in Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad stoned the Saudi consulate on Friday. Shiites in Saudi Arabia and Iraq also protested on Friday to denounce the Bahrain crackdown. A key US ally, Bahrain is a major regional banking centre and also hosts the US Fifth Fleet which participates in the war in Afghanistan. The unrest is taking a severe toll on Bahrain's economy. Standard & Poor's said Friday it cut the country's long- and short-term local and foreign currency sovereign credit ratings.

Saudi stocks rise on king's spending spree

King Abdullah’s substantial spending packages will boost the economy, Saudi bourse.

Middle East Online

A huge stimilus of the economy RIYADH - Saudi stocks rose sharply at the start of trading on Sunday, in the stock market's first session since King Abdullah ordered unprecedented economic benefits worth around $100 billion. Tadawul All-Shares Index (TASI) gained 5.6 percent just minutes after trading opened. All 145 listed shares increased as well as the main 15 sectors led by the construction and cement industries, which added 5.3 percent each, following the king's announcement on Friday. It was the second spending package in less than a month to be announced by King Abdullah, who appeared to be responding to the sweeping unrest in the Arab world that since January has ousted long-time leaders in Egypt and Tunisia. Banque Saudi Fransi estimated the new package to be worth around $93 billion, on top of the first deal announced in late February that was valued at around $36 billion. Saudi Jadwa Investment said on Sunday that the two substantial spending packages would boost the economy and the Saudi bourse, where prices of shares have become attractive for buyers. The Saudi monarch also ordered the spending of 250 billion riyals ($67 billion) to build 500,000 housing units. The king ordered a minimum monthly wage of 3,000 riyals ($800) for civil servants, up from 2,185 riyals, and introduced a monthly unemployment benefit of 2,000 riyals for job-seekers. The payments are to start after about eight months. Unemployment in the world's biggest crude exporter was 10.5 percent last year, but ran as high as 30 percent in the 20-29 age group, with an estimated 450,000 Saudi citizens out of work.

Hezbollah fears West meddling in 'all Arab states'

Nasrallah says Libyan rebels need to be aware international intervention could embroil Libya in great game of nations.

Middle East Online

'We don't know where things are headed' BEIRUT - The Western air strikes on Libya unleashed on Saturday could clear for the West to meddle in "all Arab countries," Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon's Shiite militant group, warned. "The fact that most Arab and Muslim leaders did not take responsibility opened the way for a Western intervention in Libya," he said. "We don't know where things are headed," Nasrallah, via a video link to a giant screen, told a crowd gathered in Beirut to show solidarity with revolts sweeping the Arab world. "This opens the way for foreign interference in every Arab country, bringing us back to the days of occupation, colonisation and partition," he said. "The situation in Libya is now very complex." The air strikes mounted under a UN Security Council resolution follow a month-long showdown between Libyan security forces and rebels calling for the overthrow of Libya's strongman Moamer Gathafi. "The rebels need to be aware that international intervention could embroil Libya in the great game of nations," Nasrallah said. "We are here to tell them: 'We are with you, we support you ... we are ready to come to your aid in your best interests and ours, to the best of our ability,'" he said.

Saudi slams 'attacks' on Iran diplomatic missions

Foreign ministry condemns attacks by Iranians against its diplomatic missions for sending troops to Bahrain.

Middle East Online

The tension is rising RIYADH - Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry on Saturday slammed the "attacks" on its diplomatic missions in Iran, a day after Iranian protesters reportedly threw stones at a Saudi consulate. "The kingdom strongly condemns the attacks against its diplomatic missions" in Iran, the ministry said in a statement. "The Iranian government carries full responsibility for protecting Saudi missions on its territory." Nearly 700 people gathered outside a consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad on Friday to protest "the killing of Muslims" by Bahraini security forces backed by Saudi and Emirati units, Iran's Khorasan newspaper said. The government of Bahrain, supported by troops and armoured vehicles from its Gulf neighbours, has this week declared martial law and rounded up dissidents at gunpoint in midnight raids. At least six people, including two police, were fatally wounded during a violent crackdown on Wednesday by Bahraini security forces that cleared a protest camp in central Manama's Pearl Square. Despite the heavy presence of security forces to protect the Saudi consulate, the angry protesters smashed windows and chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and its King Abdullah, Khorasan newspaper said on its website. Elsewhere, thousands of Iranians marched in Tehran after the Muslim weekly prayers on Friday in support of the Arab revolts rocking Bahrain, Libya and Yemen. They chanted "Death to America," "Death to Israel" and "The Saudis are committing crimes and the US supports them," according to Iranian state television.