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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says now that the United Nations has approved possible military action, the world is waiting to see whether Moammar Gadhafi’s forces begin to retreat from opposition-controlled areas in east Libya.
Forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi massed Thursday outside the city of Misrata — the last major rebel foothold in the west — apparently in preparation for an attack, as the rebels at both ends of the country’s coast battled to hold off the Qaddafi forces and their superior firepower.
Musa Ibrahim, a spokesman for the Qaddafi government, confirmed that its forces were preparing to take Misurata just as they did Zawiyah, another western town that had been held by the rebels.
Government soldiers have surrounded and made their first ground assault on Ajdabiya - the last town before the main rebel-held city of Benghazi.
Tanks are also pounding the last rebel-controlled city in the west, Misrata.
Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has urged the UN Security Council to back a draft resolution that would include a military no-fly zone.
Muammar Gaddafi’s forces captured the last rebel-held town west of Tripoli after a heavy barrage of tank and artillery fire Tuesday as regime forces pressed forward in the east.
The victory in Zwara, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the Tunisian border, solidifies Gaddafi’s hold in his western stronghold, reversing gains made by rebels in several cities early in the uprising against his rule that began on 15 February.
Gaddafi’s gains in recent days have increased pressure on the US and other Western powers to intervene to stop the bloodshed.
The Obama administration on Monday held its first high-level talks with the Libyan opposition and introduced a liaison to deal full time with their ranks. But it remained undecided about exactly how much support to lend a group it still knows little about while turmoil and uncertainty increase across the Arab world.
Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moamar Gaddafi have been attacking the town of Ajdabiya, the last major population centre before the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
Rebel fighters in Ajdabiya said four shells had hit west of the town while a former officer who defected from Mr Gaddafi’s air force said there had been air strikes.
The town is crucial to allowing government forces to besiege the rebels in Benghazi by cutting off their lifeline to the east and the Egyptian border.
Two key highways run out of Ajdabiya; one goes along the coast to Benghazi, and the other cuts across the desert to Tobruk.