Qaddafi allegedly speaks, vows victory or death

Even with his home destroyed, his capital overrun, his days seemingly numbered, it should come as no surprise to Mideast watchers that Muammar Qaddafi would remain defiant until the end.

Al-Orouba TV reportedly broadcast a message from the for-now Libyan leader on Tuesday, and he vowed victory or death against "aggression," Reuters reports. Al-Orouba TV has long been seen as a Qaddafi mouthpiece, so it is impossible to verify when the recording was made.

In the message, Qaddafi said his heavily fortified Bab Al-Aziziya compound, taken Tuesday be rebels, had already been leveled to the ground by 64 NATO airstrikes. He called the withdrawal of his troops from there a tactical move.

The message gave no clues as the his current whereabouts, although his son, Saif Al-Islam, and others have said in the last 48 hours that he is alive and well in hiding in Tripoli.

After rebels stormed Bab Al-Aziziya earlier Tuesday, one told CBS News: "We found many dead people and we opened the door and we found many guns underground."

They did not, however, find their ultimate prize.

"We're looking for Qaddafi now. We have to find him now," rebel fighter Sohaib Nefati told the Associated Press.

If Qaddafi is not in Tripoli, he is likely in his hometown of Sirte, halfway between Tripoli and Benghazi, and one of the few remaining Qaddafi strongholds. Rebels were reportedly massing troops and making their way there, although one rebel commander told CBS News they will try to negotiate with tribal leaders from Sirte to avoid bloodshed.