Libyan Air Force strikes civilian targets in East

(CBS News) 

Opposition forces still control much of eastern Libya, but in several towns today, they faced withering attacks from the air.

CBS News correspondent Mandy Clark reports that in Ras Lanouf, Qaddafi's warplanes struck a residential neighborhood. The rebels fired back with anti-aircraft guns, but the damage was done. This time there were no casualties, but that's only because the rebels had evacuated all civilians from this area.

A CBS News team visited the house that was hit by an airstrike. Another bomb was dropped during that raid. It bounced here and didn't go off, and that has left the rebels with the difficult task of getting rid of this extremely dangerous piece of ordinance.

Complete coverage: Anger in the Arab World

With this new wave of bombings, Qaddafi has crossed a line: targeting Libya's civilians from the air. That only seemed to enrage the rebels more.

"Qaddafi you coward, meet us in the battlefield," chanted a group of men standing in the bomb blast crater.

The rebels are hoping for a no fly zone, but in the meantime Khaled al Faytoori and his friends are attempting to knock Qaddafi's planes out of the sky with surface to air missiles.

"I trained for a couple of days and it's not hard to use it," al Faytoori said.

The inexperienced rebels have run into trouble in the last few days. Down the road in Bin Jawad, government forces have reportedly retaken the town. State TV showed pictures of the town supporting that claim, and this chilling statement by a Qaddafi supporter: "Yesterday we killed you in Bin Jawad. Today we killed you in Ras Lanouf. Tomorrow we will kill you in everywhere in Libya."

Underlying the message, images of captured rebels face down on the ground, the clearest sign yet that this conflict has reached a dangerous new stage.

[peregrine3]

I say so what; this is not news worthy. What are these people to us? Weren't they the same ones that cheered by the thousands when the Lockerby terrorist arrived home? They'd have our head on a stick tommorrow along with a lot of other arabs countries? Why is it always us sacrificing blood and treasure and getting bogged down in civil wars? Let the arabs shed arab blood if they want freedom. We're underpaid as mercinaries.

[rafaeldrc]

So you say: Why is the world sitting on their hands? Pretty much they are condoning this dictatorship. One sweet airstrike and then sit back and see what happens.

If only someone from out-space would strike those who use armed flying drones against civilians in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. We have killed more civilians than Muammar Gaddafi in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

We've done enough killing. Take a rest.

[Stevenapoli7]

Why is the world sitting on their hands? Pretty much they are condoning this dictatorship. One sweet airstrike and then sit back and see what happens.

[to_john]

ah yes, "one" "sweet" airstrike, just like it happened in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Libya for that matter. Has it occurred to you that miring the USA in wars for oil is counterproductive? If we would wean ourselves from the maddening quest for a scarce resource, perhaps then these dictators would not have the money and influence that they have now, and it would be a WHOLE LOT cheaper than drilling and bombing in Libya.