Nato denies going after Gaddafi as its warplanes pound Tripoli

At least four sites were hit; a military intelligence agency, a government building and a compound housing members of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s family were among the targets.

The intensified air campaign came as Nato faced criticism for not doing enough to break Col Gaddafi’s grip.

Spokesman Brig. Gen. Claudio Gabellini said: “All Nato targets are military targets.”

He denied that Nato was targeting Col Gaddafi, saying: “We have no evidence about what Mr Gaddafi is doing right now, and to tell you the truth we’re not really interested.” Journalists, who cannot leave their hotel without government minders, were shown the result of one strike that hit a parliament building.

It was not immediately clear what the other strikes targeted and there was no immediate information on injuries.

One strike sent plumes of smoke over the capital, while burning flares later cascaded down and two more sharp explosions were heard.

Reporters taken to one building saw a hole punched into what appeared to be its basement and thick blocks of concrete cracked into rubble.

Government workers said the building was partially used by parliament members and hosted a library to research Gaddafi’s Green Book, a volume written by the Libyan leader that citizens are expected to study.

The Tripoli bombing came only hours after heavy fighting was reported on the eastern front, south of Ajdabiya, a rebel-held town about 90 miles south of Benghazi, the rebel headquarters in the east.

Rebel commander Zakaria al-Mismari said that Gaddafi forces had advanced on their positions with about a dozen vehicles. “By God’s grace we managed to defeat them and outflank them, and we attacked 12 of their vehicles,” he said.

The rebel army has been bogged down for weeks near Ajdabiya, unable to move on to Brega, which has an oil terminal and Libya’s second-largest hydrocarbon complex.

The rebels say their weapons cannot reach more than about 12 miles while Col Gaddafi’s forces can fire rockets and shells up to twice that distance. Rebel pleas for heavier arms from abroad have received no response.

Those rebels battling Col Gaddafi’s forces on a deadlocked front line in eastern Libya welcomed the first supply ship in five days to reach the besieged western port city of Misrata.

Meanwhile, a member of the House of Lords warned of “genocide” if Libya’s chaos continued.

Lord Nazir Ahmed said he feared that if Col Gaddafi’s forces seized control of areas currently ruled by rebels, or vice versa, there could be widespread revenge killings.

Lord Ahmed said: “God forbid if any one side wins – for instance, if the government takes control of Benghazi, what would happen to all those rebels?

“And if they (the rebels) win, what will happen to the government supporters?”

Lord Ahmed spoke before a meeting with Libyan tribal chiefs as a part of a two-day private fact finding mission.

The United Nations humanitarian chief, Baroness Amos, also called for a pause in the hostilities in Libya to ease the crisis in the country.

Baroness Amos told the UN Security Council that the pause would allow food, water, medical supplies and other vital aid to reach those who need it most.

She claimed it would also allow humanitarian workers to evacuate people from other countries who remained in Libya as well as giving civilians a respite from the violence.