NATO confirmed it had aircraft deployed over Tripoli, but could not confirm it had bombed Qaddafi’s compound.
“NATO confirms it has aircraft over Tripoli today,” the official said when asked about reports it had launched an air strike against the compound.
“We haven’t heard from our aircraft whether they found it necessary to take action,” the official said, adding: “We don’t have any indications right now.”
Explosions were heard inside the compound, Arabiya reported, with fighting mostly concentrated on the western side.
“The revolutionaries are trying to get in through the Old Gate on the western side. If they’re successful, the fighting will move inside the compound,” Muftah Ahmad Othman, a rebel in Tripoli, told the news channel.
Britain’s Sky TV also reported that smoke could be seen billowing from the compound following a NATO air strike.
Located in the southern center of Tripoli, the six-square-kilometer complex is home to Qaddafi’s private quarters as well as a military barracks and other installations.
