CBS new reports that 50 to 100 US Tomahawk cruise missiles have been launched against Libya. Their reporter in Tripoli does not report hearing anything. Also,
Al Jazeera's correspondent Kimberly Halkett was present at a Pentagon briefing on operations in Libya. She reports that the US is targetting Integrated Missile Defence Systems along the Libyan coast.
Those strikes are the first wave, where the US is in the lead of coalition efforts which involve France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada.
The US will be in control for an unspecified period of time, but then will transfer control to coalition forces. Currently operations of the Joint Task Force are being run from the USS Mt Whitney. There are about 25 ships and submarines present in Mediterranean that will be taking part in operations.
Al Jazeera also reports, from AFP,
AFP reports that loud blasts have been heard east of the Tripoli, according to witnesses. It is not immediately clear what caused the blasts.
Here is an update of the Pentagn briefing from CNN.
U.S. Tomahawk missiles have landed in the western area around Tripoli and Misrata, the American military official said.
"He's clearly been on the offensive," the official said of Gadhafi. "He said that he was going to do a cease-fire and he continued to move his forces into Benghazi."
France convenes summit on Libya crisis Libya cease-fire ignored Libya forces advance on main rebel base Warplane falls from sky
The military official said the attacks on Gadhafi's forces will be part of a multiphase approach in a sequential and deliberate manner.
"The U.S. will be at the front end of this, providing the unique capabilities that the U.S has," the official said.
While French jets launched the first attacks on Gadhafi's forces, Americans jets will be part of the enforcement. "When this commences, we'll have American aircraft involved," the official said.
David Cameron just made this announcement,
Tonight, British forces are in action over Libya. They are part of an international coalition that has come together to enforce the will of the United Nations and to protect the Libyan people. We have all seen the appalling brutality that Colonel Kadhafi has meted out against his own people and far from introducing the ceasefire he spoke about he has actually stepped up the attacks and the brutality.
The coalition is expanding to include the UAE and Qatar
The Pentagon says that the UAE and Qatar will also be involved in military operations in Libya, but will announce their involvement themselves.
The operation falls under the operational command of the US African Command, under General Carter Hamm. Tactical execution is being run out of the USS Mount Whitney, Admiral Sam Locklear commanding.
Off the coast of Libya, there are: 11 vessels from Italy, 11 from the US (including three submarines, each with 100 missiles on board), one from the UK, one from France and one from Canada.
The no-fly zone will encompass Tripoli, Sabha, Natoura, Misurata and Benghazi.
This is from the US Pentagon briefing that just concluded
Vice Admiral William Gortney, the Director of the US Joint Staff, just completed his briefing. He said that US is "the leading edge" of coalition military operations on Libya, which are aimed at preventing further attacks on civilian and opposition targets and also at degrading the Libyan ability to violate a no-fly zone, both as authorised under UN Resolution 1973.
He said that the US had struck more than 20 air defence system targets, mostly on Libya's west coast, including communications and SA-5 (surface-to-air) missile sites, as well as the C-2 architecture that goes with those long range missile sites.
About 110-112 Tomahawk missiles were used during the operation, which was critical to creating conditions to be able to set up a no-fly zone.
He said that US military aircraft were not currently in Libyan air space in this phase of operations, and that the US was using its "unique capabilities to shape the battlespace" before handing over command of operations to other coalition leaders.
Currently, officers with coalition partners are aboard the USS Mount Whitney, from where military operations are being commanded.
He also said that further action will depend on a bomb damage assessment, adding that this could not be done using US Reaper or Predator drones, as they were not being deployed. He anticipated that this would take 6-12 hours.
Spain has now announced it has joined the effort. From Al Jazeera,
Spain's defence ministry in a statement said four F-18 fighter jets and refuelling aircraft have been sent to the Italian base on the island of Sardinia as part of international air raids on Libya. It will also deploy an F-100 frigate, an S-74 submarine and a CN-235 maritime surveillance plane.