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Heavy gunfire erupts in Tripoli
20 August 2011 Last updated at 17:48 ET
Nato is continuing to carry out air strikes on TripoliExplosions and sustained gunfire have been heard in parts of Tripoli, as rebels close in on the Libyan capital.
A BBC correspondent in the city says it sounded like exchange of fire rather than celebratory gunshots.
Residents spoke of clashes in the city, amid reports that opponents of Col Muammar Gaddafi were being urged to go on the streets.
Rebels earlier claimed control of of Zlitan, 160km (100 miles) east of Tripoli, and Zawiya, 30km to the west.
However, pro-Gaddafi forces have been fighting back at the oil port of Brega, with the rebels admitting that they fell back from the eastern town’s industrial zone under heavy bombardment.
Gaining momentum
The BBC’s Matthew Price in Tripoli reports that heavy gunfire is being heard in several parts of the capital, including the Tajoura district, late on Saturday.
Our correspondent says it not unusual to hear celebratory gunshots or anti-aircraft fire in the city, but the latest thuds sounded like two-way exchanges.
He says it is very hard to judge what is currently going in the city, as Col Gaddafi troops and armed loyalists have in the past crushed any unrest.
The momentum is clearly against Col Gaddafi and his supporters, our correspondent adds, with rebels having better weaponry.
He adds that either pro-Gaddafi forces have pulled back in places like Zlitan in order to prepare for a fresh offensive or, after months of Nato air strikes, elements of the army may simply be too weak to fight on.
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