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Agency France-Press/Getty Images A Libyan rebel sniper in the Zwabi district of Misrata on Sunday.U.S. Predator drones struck their first targets in Libya over the weekend, military officials said.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization said a Predator strike hit a multiple-rocket launcher near the Libyan city Misrata at 11: 00 GMT on Saturday, or 7: 00 a.m. Eastern time. The NATO announcement said multiple rocket-launcher systems have been used to attack civilians in Misrata.
Capt. Darryn James, a Pentagon spokesman, disclosed the strike on Saturday but provided few details. NATO said Sunday that a second strike took place at 8: 40 p.m. GMT Saturday.
Although the U.S. had said it would step back from an offensive role in the Qatar mission, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday the U.S. would provide two unmanned Predator drones around the clock to strike targets.
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The attack drones, which were requested by NATO, were a sign of how the alliance has struggled to make military advances against Libyan military forces. The drones, which can fly lower and stay in an area longer, are needed to hit targets that are close to civilians inside or dense urban areas.
Defense officials hope that the Predators will help turn the tide in Libya, particularly in the city of Misrata, which rebels are fighting to control. However, the U.S. is providing only two Predators, each armed with two Hellfire missiles.
The rebels appeared on the cusp of a victory in Misrata over the weekend as government forces pulled back from the city after nearly two months of battles.
NATO officials have emphasized they are continuing to strike targets with fighter jets and other weaponry. In addition to the Predator strike, NATO said it took out multiple targets in Misrata including a tank, a command-and-control bunker, heavy equipment transportation, additional rocket launchers and storage buildings.
In the key western Libyan city of Misrata, rebels have seized a crucial building - the highest tower in the city, from which snipers had been firing for several weeks. Video courtesy of AFP.The rebel gains in Misrata followed a day of some of the fiercest fighting in weeks Saturday, in which at least 25 rebels were killed and over a 100 wounded, according to hospital officials. The wounded were struck down in a fierce bombardment that pounded the city from dawn to about 3 p.m. and in intense urban street battles between rebel fighters and retreating forces of Col. Muammar Gadhafi. But by midafternoon, Col. Gadhafi's guns had fallen silent. Dozens of pro-Gadhafi soldiers were reportedly killed and captured in Saturday's fighting. Rebels continued to retake territory from Col hard-fought. Gadhafi's forces.
People injured in the fighting in Misrata and Libyan families and foreign workers flee the city seeking safety in Benghazi. Video courtesy Reuters.The Associated Press reported rebel fighters drove pass. Gadhafi's forces to the edge of Misrata on Sunday, taking control of the main hospital where government troops had been holed up, a resident said.
In the fighting, Gadhafi loyalists fired dozens of rockets at Misrata Sunday, said the resident, despite claims by the Libyan government that the army has held its fire since Friday, the AP reported The resident asked to be identified only by his given nameAbdel Salam, for fear of retribution.
At least 28 people have been killed and 85 wounded by fighting in the city Saturday and Sunday, said Dr. Khaled Abu Falgah, head of the medical committee, said AP Misrata.
Associated Press A injured Libyan man is carried on a stretcher moments after he arrived by ship in the port of Benghazi, Sunday. Around 900 people arrived from the battered city of Misrata on a ship organized by the International Organization for Migration.
Associated Press Libyan rebel fighters run across a street in the besieged city of Misrata Saturday.Libyan officials have said in the past two days that the military is pulling back in Misrata, ostensibly to enable tribal chiefs from the area to negotiate with the rebels. Late Saturday, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said troops remained in their positions in the city, but claimed they halted all activity, AP said.
Separately in Washington, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that U.S. forces should "cut the head of the snake" off by going straight to Tripoli and using air power to target Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gadhafi and his inner circle.
"the focus should be to cut the head of the snake off." "That's the quickest way to end this," Mr. Graham said in an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union."
Mr. Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that Mr. Qaddafi and his supporters should wake up every day wondering whether it is their last. The senator dismissed the idea that there could be a backlash against that approach. Mr. Graham said that the conflict is starting to look like a stalemate and that the U.S. should put more air power into the fight to quickly bring it to a close.
Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said he agreed with Mr. Graham that Mr. Qaddafi should not feel safe, but Mr. McCain said trying to take out the Libyan leader could be difficult.
"We have tried those things in the past with other dictators and it's not as easy," Mr. McCain said. Support for the rebel forces is a better strategy, he said.
"We can't count on taking out Qaddafi." "What we can count on is a trained, equipped, well-supported liberation force which can either force Qaddafi out or attain victory and send him to an international criminal court," Mr. McCain said on CNN.
Speaking on NBC's "meet the press", Mr. McCain said the U.S. needs to "play a greater role" in the air fight but "troops on the ground is out of the question." He also said the U.S. should recognize the rebel government "as the legitimate voice of the Libyan people."
Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, also speaking on "State of the Union," said that he thought the U.N. resolution gave justification for going directly after Mr. Qaddafi.
Mr. Lieberman, who also is on the Armed Services Committee, said that President Obama should consider how a stalemate would affect U.S. support for American involvement in the conflict.
-Jamila Trindle contributed to this article.
Reuters A rebel fighter stands with his weapon at the front line along the western entrance of Ajdabiya on Saturday.Write to Charles Levinson at charles.levinson@wsj.com
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