Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has also called on his supporters to attack protesters in the streets. Hours after the speech, the U.N. Security Council issued a statement urging the Libyan government to end its attacks. Libya’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim al-Dabashi, who has defected from Gaddafi’s regime, criticized the measure, saying it does not go far enough. Dabashi also repeated his call on the regime to stop killing innocent protesters.

Ibrahim al-Dabashi: “I cannot confirm that there are aerial attacks, but now the attack is on the ground. I want to be accurate. I want to set the reality. And once again, I call on the regime to stop killing the Libyan people.”

The Obama administration has condemned the attacks but refused to reintroduce sanctions against the Libyan government. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed the violence on Tuesday.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “We are obviously watching developments in Libya with grave concern. We have joined with the international community in strongly condemning the violence in Libya, and we believe that the government of Libya bears responsibility for what is occurring and must take actions to end the violence.”