[Updated at 4:54 p.m.] An agreement has been reached in the U.N. Security Council to release $1.5 billion in frozen Libyan assets to the country's fledgling rebel government, diplomats said Thursday.
[Updated at 2:13 p.m.] Gadhafi loyalists have destroyed an empty Libyan airline passenger plane parked at the international airport in Tripoli.
[Updated at 11:54 a.m.] A message purportedly from Moammar Gadhafi was aired Thursday on a loyalist radio station.
The speaker urged people not to leave Tripoli "for the rats." It further implored listeners to "Go out into the streets and fight."
CNN cannot independently confirm the authenticity of the recording. Gadhafi has previously described his adversaries before as rats.
[Updated at 10:49 a.m.] The main source of the opposition's supplies is coming from fighters loyal to Gadhafi. As the rebels win battles, they gather up the enemy's weaponry and equipment to add to their own arsenal.
In Ras Lanuf, home to an oil refinery capable of producing hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil a day, a long line of trucks awaited refueling. Most of the trucks had been taken from Moammar Gadhafi's loyalists and been retrofitted with heavy weaponry, including anti-aircraft guns and a rocket launcher.
Ras Lanuf is about 125 miles from Sirte, Gadhafi's hometown and one of the Libyan leader's last strongholds.
Gadhafi has a $1.4 million bounty on his head, but despite claims that he is holed up in an apartment complex in Tripoli, observers are skeptical because of a past rebel assertion that they knew where the Libyan leader was hiding and another announcement that they had captured his son, Saif al-Islam. Neither were accurate.
[Updated at 10:15 a.m.] There has been sporadic but intense artillery fire throughout day near Tripoli International Airport as rebels try to capture the highway connecting the airport and the capital. The airport is about 17 miles south of the capital.
[Updated at 10:09 a.m.] It is difficult to tell exactly what is happening on the ground because while there are legitimate firefights taking place, there is also plenty of celebratory gunfire, including from the rebels' large-caliber, anti-aircraft guns.
CNN's Dan Rivers, however, said there was a fierce firefight in one corner of Moammar Gadhafi's compound about two hours ago.
[Updated 10:02 a.m.] Smoke can be seen rising from Bab al-Aziziya, the Libyan leader's compound.
[Posted at 9:46 a.m.] Rebels say they believe Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is at an apartment complex near his compound in Tripoli, a rebel commander said Thursday.
The commander told CNN that more troops have been dispatched to surround the building.
Rebels say they believe the leader of more than four decades may be holed up with some of his sons.
CNN has not been able to confirm the rebels' claim independently. Rebels have made many bold statements in recent days, some of which haven't turned out to be true.
The rebels did not explain why they believe it is Gadhafi inside the apartment buildings, where Reuters reports rebels are trading gunfire with the leader's loyalists.
"They are together. They are in a small hole," one of the fighters involved in the battle, Muhammad Gomaa, told Reuters. "Today we finish. Today we will end that."
congrats. u just gave the terrorists a country.
Seriously..? Lybia already had terrorists. Never heard of the Lockerbie airplane bombing that Gadhafi claimed his country was responsible for? There are so many tribes and different sides in Libya that without a lot of international help its likely to become a place of civil war for years. They dont care about us or anyone outside of Libya...not the Libyan people anyway.
And just who did you think was in power before?
berzerhur is right.
Look how we "helped" Iraq. Saddam may have been a horrible person, but at least he didn't allow Al Queda to operate within his country and he hated the Iranians. Now Iraq is teeming with terrorists and the average Iraqi is still living in poverty and fear.
You who? The Libyans just reclaimed their country from a tyrant who supported terrorism and meddled in the affairs of sub-Saharan African nations. Liberians remember that he armed Charles Taylor and give him a place to train the rebel leaders that set our country back 50 years. Not all Arabs are terrorists Bezerkur. In fact the vast majority are not. I'm a Black-African and Khadaffi once said "Black-African blood flows proudly through my veins." Too bad he used Libya's oil wealth to support tyranny in and out of Libya. He could have done so much good for the continent that he claimed to love so fiercely.
it is time for justice, for the terrorist actions Gadhafi is responsible against "the west" and for the crimes against his own countrymen. whatever happens from that will be dealt with another day.
God: "thou shall NOT kill" PERIOD .... If you are a true believer, you can't dispute God's word ...
Jazzzzzzz, does He not also say, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth"?
What! Your not saying their are inconsistencies in the bible are you! That cant be true! lol
I'm not a believer in him or Santa Claus.
Please refer back to "thou shall NOT kill" I choose to obey, if you do not, that's your decision ....
Leviticus 24:16
Anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death.
The bible says it's OK to kill in a time of war...including all prisoners and their entire families, including their children. I think you need to brush up on your bible reading....
I am very cautious on this claim since the rebels reported erroneously they had captured his sons already which proved untrue. Seeing is believing. The intense fighting near the airport though could have been a deterrent to try and place a possibility he was there trying to secure escape. Either way I'm skeptical given the fact they had stated they had his sons in custody and didn't. As well the information leading them tom believe they have him surrounded may be erroneous as well and a smoke screen.
Don't forget to check in the 'spider-holes'!!
these rebels have proven to be just after money and they know how to play us, CNN, etc.. for more attention. I would not be surprise if gaddafi set them up to dessimate them.
*decimate*
/don't normally worry about spelling, but that word isn't commonly used, so it was hard to read.
its all in the name of Oil they may kill or arrest Colonel Gaddaffih but as long as Americants r Involved there wil be no Peace In Tripoli
Riiiiiiiiiiight. Tired of these rebel lies.
It's always a compound... unless it's an ally, then it's a home or government offices...
Simple fix, drop a Bunker-Buster dead center the building... Or better yet shove a Daisey-Cutter up his ass and give him a really good colonoscopy!!!
Exactly! What is this bs game the world powers are playing??
Somebody must have beaten Gadhafi all about his head and sholders with a very large ugly stick!
We need a revolution in this country for jobs.
Could you explain how a revolution is going to create jobs? I think we need to clean house as far as the government goes. They are just puppets for the Giant Industries in the world who pay the politicians quite nicely for their services. We need to get rid of "career politics".
Which is worse? The enemy you know or the enemy you don't know.
This is about the freeDom of a people. Its saD he will Die in a Apartment a man who coulD have changeD the Direction of his people but yet he continueD to enslave them. So its not about the Oil its about the People.Thank you Mr Obama you went about this the right way.Great Job Sir. 80% of the worlD loves you.
Is your capital "D" stuck?
When do we get regime change in the West? How can it be right that we are ruled by an alien minority of rich zionists?
When the final straw lands on the camel's back.
the idiot couldnt bake a cake let alone unify africa. you never heard his psycho babblings? get a grip
Yellow Cake?
and the king of the north will enter Egypt, ...and Libya (north Africa) and Ethiopia will follow at his heels...
...the king of the north will also enter and pass through the glorious land and many countries will be overthrown.
Daniel 11:41-43
This prophecy is happening now.
Have you bent and twisted the "facts" enough to suit your purposes? How about the myriad other prophecies that haven't or won't come true?