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Explosions were reported in Tripoli and anti-aircraft fire was heard over Col Gaddafi’s residence.ghd hair straighteners  A plume of smoke was reported to be coming from near the dictator’s home. The Americans were said to have taken over the airwaves to warn residents not to interfere with the military operation.

On Sunday, an increasingly erratic Col Gaddafi initially refused to back down following the first round of air strikes from the United Nations-backed allies, declaring that he was arming more than one million of his people for a “long war”.

However, as the second round began, a spokesman for the Libyan military ordered all units in the country to observe a ceasefire.

Coalition commanders were cautious over whether the order was genuine. A No 10 spokesman said: “Everyone will recall that in recent days Col Gaddafi declared a ceasefire which was promptly violated. We said then we would judge him on his actions, not his words, and we will do so again.” Last night Tornados took off from RAF Marham as reports came through that Gaddafi troops were still targeting rebels in Misurata and Zintan.

Col Gaddafi’s defiance led to suggestions that British ground forces might need to be deployed. Admiral Mike Mullen, the head of the US armed forces, warned of a potential stalemate as he admitted he was unclear of the “endgame”. Dr Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, raised the possibility that Col Gaddafi could be personally targeted in air strikes.

Senior British defence sources insisted that no plans were being drawn up to send in forces on the ground but ministers yesterday refused to rule out the possibility. William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, indicated that ground forces could be used for specific missions under the terms of the UN mandate, providing they did not become an “occupying force”.

Barack Obama has already ruled out the use of the American military and David Cameron is likely to come under pressure in Parliament today to clarify the British terms of involvement in the international mission.

The Coalition suffered its first diplomatic blow yesterday when the Arab League criticised the operation, expressing concern about a “bombardment” rather than the enforcement of a no-fly zone. Russia and China also condemned the attack.

On Saturday, forces from Britain, France, Canada and the US launched a series of bombing raids on Libyan airfields, tanks and air defence systems. Qatari and Italian planes were due to join the offensive last night.

Ships and submarines fired 124 cruise missiles to destroy dozens of tanks and aircraft. Commanders said most of Libya’s military air capacity was destroyed with few, or no, civilian casualties.

In a briefing yesterday, senior Ministry of Defence officials said they were “entirely comfortable” with the success of the attacks, which had struck “high-value targets” in Tripoli and other parts of Libya.

Adm Mullen said Col Gaddafi was no longer able to deploy helicopters and aircraft, meaning that “effectively the no-fly zone has been put in place”. However, he warned that the dictator could use chemical weapons, ghd hair straighteners sale including a “significant quantity” of mustard gas in the desert. “We’ve had our eyes on that for a significant period of time, literally the last two or three weeks,” he said. “There’s no indication he’s moving toward using that, but certainly that’s something we’re watching very carefully.”

Yesterday afternoon, there were reports that regime forces had entered the coastal town of Misurata. The regime was also said to be using civilians as human shields at military sites.

Residents reported that Col Gaddafi’s tank commanders had pushed through to the centre of the city, triggering clashes that caused dozens of casualties.

A spokesman for the rebels who goes by the name Abdelbasset said: “There is fighting between the rebels and Gaddafi’s forces. Their tanks are in the centre of Misurata. There are so many casualties we cannot count them. He is using a scorched earth strategy, burning and destroying everything in his way.”

This presents coalition forces with a dilemma, as air power cannot easily be used to stop Libyan aggression in dense urban areas without the risk of large numbers of civilian casualties. Shashank Joshi of the Royal United Service Institute, the think tank, said: “In terms of the mission to enforce a no-fly zone, they are likely to be extremely effective.

“But the question is, even once you have established a no-fly zone, what happens next?”

British Typhoon aircraft arrived at an Italian airbase last night, where British fighter jets will now be stationed along with those from other countries. The British base in Cyprus will still be used for support aircraft, despite protests from the Cypriot government.y cheap ghd australia online,

Yesterday, senior British ministers said that although no “occupying force” would be deployed, the use of ground forces could not be ruled out. Mr Hague said: “There can’t be an occupation force. But I don’t think that means you can’t have a ground invasion of Libya.”

Mr Osborne also indicated that ground forces may be used in future after only saying their deployment was not being discussed “at the moment”. He declined to rule out their use in future.

The comments stand in contrast to assurances given by the Americans, who are wary of being dragged in to another prolonged military campaign alongside operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On a trip to Brazil, President Obama said: “As I said yesterday, we will not, I repeat, we will not deploy any US troops on the ground.”

The Americans are also preparing to hand over responsibility for the operation to Nato in the next few days.

Yesterday there were signs of international unease at the mission, and even splits within the coalition.