A cruise missile blasted Muammar Gaddafi’s residential compound in an attack that carried as much symbolism as military effect, and fighter jets destroyed a line of tanks moving on the rebel capital. The US said the international assault would hit any government forces attacking the opposition. Oil prices jumped to nearly $103 a barrel on March 21 in Asia after the Libyan leader vowed a “long war” amid a second night of allied strikes in the OPEC nation. Jubilant rebels said they expected to bring him down in a matter of days. It was not known where Qaddafi was when the missile hit near his iconic tent on March 20, but it seemed to show that while the allies trade nuances over whether the Libyan leader’s fall is a goal of their campaign – he is not safe. Half of the round, three-storey administration building was knocked down and pieces of the missile were scattered around. About 300 Qaddafi supporters were in the compound at the time.
Qaddafi’s wrecked tanks and other army vehicles smouldered on a strategic road in east Libya after Western powers launched air strikes that galvanized embattled rebels.Rebels who had been driven back to their stronghold of Benghazi by the Libyan leader’s air, sea and land offensive in the past two weeks were returning in 4×4 pick-ups to the town of Ajdabiyah, the hard fought over gateway to the east.