Opposition fighters in Libya have launched an offensive near the Tunisia border in an effort to cut supplies to Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s military forces. The rebels have taken hold of the western town of Az-Zawiyah, but claimed to have suffered “many casualties” from pro-Gaddafi attacks. Meanwhile, in eastern Libya, opposition forces continued to assault the strategic oil city of Brega, where Gaddafi’s fighters control important oil facilities. Gaddafi regime spokesperson Moussa Ibrahim vowed a prolonged fight.

Moussa Ibrahim: “We are very powerful. The tens of thousands and tens of thousands of volunteers are armed right now. It doesn’t matter whether NATO advances or not, whether the rebels advance or not, because we will always be able to fight — in a year’s time, in two years, in three years.”