BENGHAZI/LIBYA:
NATO pounded Tripoli on Sunday hours after Britain’s top diplomat met rebel chiefs in Libya and Russia voiced concerns the alliance’s military operation is sliding towards a land campaign.
Warplanes launched intensive air raids on the Libyan capital and its eastern suburbs, where several explosions were heard, as NATO kept up its pressure on strongman Muammar Qaddafi.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Saturday met leaders of rebels who have been fighting to oust Qaddafi after NATO deployed attack helicopters for the first time.
Hague admitted on Sunday that the NATO operation was intensifying and that there was no deadline, but denied any mission creep for the aerial bombing campaign launched nearly three months ago.
“We’re not going to set a deadline. You’re asking about Christmas and who knows, it could be days or weeks or months, (but) it is worth doing,” Hague told BBC television.
Hague defended the use of attack helicopters and ruled out putting forces on the ground in Libya, saying NATO would stick to the terms of a UN Security Council resolution passed in March to protect civilians.
Hague held talks in Benghazi with the head of the opposition National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, and toured a medical centre treating war wounded.
Three waves of explosions had rocked Tripoli since the British foreign secretary departed the rebel stronghold on Saturday.
Four blasts shook Tripoli at around 2:30 am (0030 GMT) Sunday after two powerful but distant explosions were felt in the centre of the capital at around 6:30 pm on Saturday, followed by several others within a few minutes. Witnesses reported four more at midday Sunday in Tajura too.
Britain and France said Saturday they deployed attack helicopters against Qaddafi forces for the first time as part the NATO campaign to protect civilians in line with UN Resolution 1973.
“We welcome any action that could precipitate the end of (Muammar) Qaddafi ‘s regime,” Libyan rebel leader Jalil said.
Britain said Sunday its Apache helicopters returned to the NATO campaign over Libya, destroying a multiple missile launcher operated by Qaddafi forces near the eastern oil hub of Brega.
“The attack helicopters used Hellfire missiles to destroy their target before returning safely to the ship,” said Major General Nick Pope, spokesman for the Chief of Defence Staff.
British Tornado strike planes separately joined other NATO aircraft in a major strike on a large surface-to-air missile depot in the Libyan capital Tripoli, Pope added.
Russia warns NATO against Libya land operation
In its latest operational update issued on Sunday, NATO said it struck a command and control node, missile storage facility and military installation in Tripoli and rocket launcher, barracks and two checkpoints near Brega.
Moscow, which is calling for a negotiated solution to the conflict, expressed alarm as the NATO campaign entered a new phase.
“We consider that what is going on is either consciously or unconsciously sliding towards a land operation, that would be very deplorable,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said according to the RIA Novosti news agency
It was a concern reiterated Sunday by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergi Ivanov, who expressed doubt that NATO’s use of helicopters was an acceptable way to impose a no-fly zone set out under the UN resolution.
“NATO is using attack helicopters on land targets, which is in my view the last but one step before the land operation,” he told a military forum in Singapore.
Russia on Sunday warned that NATO’s campaign in Libya could turn into a land operation after attack helicopters were used for the first time against forces supporting embattled leader Muammar Qaddafi.
“When the UN resolution was taken, we thought that it was a good resolution in the way of preventing and stopping civilian casualties including closing down the Libyan airspace,” Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov told a security forum in Singapore.
“But first of all, we haven’t agreed what closing down the airspace means, now NATO is using attack helicopters on land targets, which is in my view the last but one step before the land operation and of course we didn’t mean that when supporting the resolution.” he said.