Home> World
French warplanes strike Tripoli outskirts
March-20-2011

French warplanes attacked an air defense site in Tajura, about 10 km east of the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Saturday night, in a wave of airstrikes against leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces, according to Xinhua correspondents.

Xinhua correspondents in Tripoli also confirmed that an oil storage in the western city of Misurata exploded on Saturday.

Libyan Parliament Speaker Mohammed Abul-Qassim al-Zwai said Saturday night in a press conference that foreign fighter jets had hit Tripoli and Misurata which caused many casualties.

The "barbaric armed attack" came after Libya announced ceasefire and major reforms, he added.

The military actions of western countries were launched after the U.N. Security Council imposed a no-fly zone over Libya.

Meanwhile, the United States Saturday launched the first Tomahawk missile attacks against the Libyan air defense from warships deployed in the Mediterranean, the Pentagon said.

The U.S. Navy has three submarines outfitted with Tomahawk missiles in the Mediterranean, as well as two guided-missile destroyers, and two amphibious warships, and a command-and-control ship, according to U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The military also has five surveillance planes in the area.