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Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi challenged the allies' no-fly zone for the first time today, sending up a warplane over the city if Misrata where it was quickly shot down by French figher jets.
The plane launched by Gadhafi was a "galeb," a single-engine military aircraft.
The coalition has had total control of the skies the last few days. Africa Command's General Carter F. Ham said on Monday that no Libyan planes had flown since the start of the operations on Saturday. The Tomahawk missile strikes have effectively degraded Libyan air defenses to the point that the coalition has not even recorded any radar activity coming from Libya.
On Wednesday night, Gadhafi's Bab Al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli was struck again by coalition forces. But unlike Sunday's strike on the compound by two British tomahawk missiles, the latest incident was not a pre-scheduled target, a U.S. official said.
Instead, it was more likely an opportune target, in that the pilots did not go out intending to target the compound, but may have seen something worth attacking, the official said.
Libyan state TV showed footage of what appeared to be air defense system and military trucks on fire, indicating that the target was indeed a military compound.
Sunday's strike targeted a command and control center located on the sprawling compound that also houses a Gadhafi residence and the tent he uses to receive dignitaries.
British fighter jets were to have struck the compound a second time Sunday night, but the attack was scrubbed because of the presence of civilians nearby. It was later determined they were western journalists taken by the Libyans to see the building that was struck by the cruise missiles.
U.S. officials say Gadhafi's allies have been reaching out to his partners across the world, but on the surface, the longtime dictator has been defiant.
Rebels continue to fight though they remain besieged by Gadhafi's forces.
In Ajdabiayh, just west of the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, rebels bombed Gadhafi's outposts. Fighters armed with anti-aircraft guns held up peace signs, which has become a symbol of this revolution.
"Gadhafi's forces are weak and isolated," said one man confidently. "We need heavy weapons and aerial support to confront their tanks."
But Gadhafi's forces are still firing away, not giving in.
They are also on the offensive in the west. Despite international air strikes, the rebel-held cities of Misrata and Zintan continue to be attacked, and their residents are pleading for help.
Multiple explosions rocked the capital of Tripoli overnight as Gadhafi's compound was bombed for the second time in a week.
An anchor on state TV brandished an AK-47 and declared he was ready to die for the colonel.
Representatives from countries that are part of the coalition will meet this Saturday in the United Kingdom to form a "contact group" to continue the intervention in Libya. But there's still much confusion and disagreements among the allies on who will take command.
On Thursday, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said the meeting will signal that it's not just NATO that's taking over the leadership in Libya, but a larger group of countries.
"Today we have agreed that this leadership structure would be both NATO and the European Union," Juppe said, according to wire reports. "NATO for planning and operational supervision of the operations, and the EU for everything related to humanitarian action."
Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters Tuesday that the Libya airstrikes are not a NATO mission, contradicting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who told ABC News "NATO will definitely be involved" and that she's "very relaxed" about the handoff.
"First of all, this isn't a NATO mission. This is a mission in which the NATO machinery may be used for command and control," Gates said in Moscow. But "this command and control business is complicated. We haven't done something like this, kind of on the fly before. And so it's not surprising to me that it would take a few days to get it all sorted out."
The Pentagon on Thursday said that the total number of sorties was 175 with the number of non-U.S. flights increasing. They're targeting tanks, rocket launchers, artillery, as well as ground forces but only those operating outside of cities, pushing into Misrata, Zawiyah and Ajdabiyah.
U.S. officials say Gadhafi's allies have been reaching out to his partners across the world, but on the surface, the longtime dictator has been defiant.
U.S. officials tell ABC News that Gadhafi is increasingly anxious, constantly on the move and not knowing who to trust -- though he is being encouraged to stick it out by at least one of his sons.
"Gadhafi is not sleeping. He oscillates between crazy and then some sanity," a U.S. official said. "He is emotional and moving around a ton."
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told ABC News Tuesday there's evidence that the embattled leader, through his people, is reaching out to allies around the world exploring options.
"Some of it is theater. Some of it is, you know, kind of, shall we say game playing, to try to do one message to one group, another message to somebody else," Clinton said. "A lot of it is just the way he behaves. It's somewhat unpredictable. But some of it, we think, is exploring. You know, what are my options, where could I go, what could I do. And we would encourage that."
ABC
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