VOA News 17 June 2011
On Friday Tripoli was the target of NATO bombing runs.
It was not immediately clear what was hit or whether there were casualties. Sirens of rescue vehicles blared through the streets.
NATO has most often struck under the cover of darkness, but daytime assaults have become more common. Friday's raids followed a barrage on Thursday night.
As the attacks continued, there were tentative attempts at resolving the three-month-long conflict.
The son, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera Thursday the vote could take place within three months. He said transparency could be guaranteed by international observers.
Opposition spokesman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga told al-Jazeera television the time for elections has passed, "because our forces are at the outskirts of Tripoli." A U.S. State Department official also dismissed the idea.
A Russian envoy in Tripoli, Mikhail Margelov, told reporters earlier Thursdayi that Libyan officials assured him the government is in direct contact with rebels in their eastern stronghold, Benghazi.
Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi says Gadhafi will not relinquish power in response to international pressure for him to step down.
Update: Libya Leader remains defiant
As international coalition airstrikes pounded Libya in daylight hours, a defiant Moammar Gadhafi vowed in an audio message aired on Libyan television Friday to defeat NATO.
Shouting and encouraging Libyan people to carry on, Mr. Gadhafi vowed not to quit despite calls from world leaders for him to step down.
The messages aired as Libyan state television showed what it said was live video a pro-Gadhafi rally in a Tripoli square. The video showed what appeared to be hundreds of people waving flags and chanting pro-government slogans.
Mr. Gadhafi's message came as NATO warplanes continue strikes over the capital, Tripoli. The forces appear to be targeting several parts of the capital, but it was not immediately clear what was hit or whether there are casualties.
NATO has most often struck under the cover of darkness, but day-time assaults have become more common. Friday's raids followed a barrage on Thursday night.
Forces loyal to Mr. Gadhafi pounded targets in he western rebel stronghold of Misrata. Medical authorities and rebels say the shelling on Friday had killed at least 10 people and left 40 wounded.
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