British, French and other Nato forces were on Saturday night preparing a two-pronged blitz to try to finish off Col Gaddafi as already slender hopes for a peaceful resolution to the Libyan crisis faded.

The first daytime bombing raid on the Libyan capital Tripoli on Saturday morning heralded a new stage in the military campaign against the Gaddafi regime.

It hit a military storage base in the centre of Tripoli that has been subject of repeated raids all week.

But a military spokesman said a separate mission the night before had taken out watchtowers on the leadership's Bab al-Azizia compound and threatened to begin opening up its miles of bleak green-painted concrete walls up by precision bombing.

"Last night's action sends a powerful message to the regime's leadership and to those involved in delivering Colonel Gaddafi's attacks on civilians that they are no longer hidden away from the Libyan people behind high walls," Major-General John Lorimer, spokesman for the chief of defence staff, said.

On Saturday evening, it appeared the regime was attempting to open back-door channels to negotiate with the British government. (read more)