New blasts rocked the Libyan capital early Sunday as leader Moamer Kadhafi vowed to remain in the land of his ancestors in the face of new calls for him to go and with rebels pressing their campaign to oust him.
At least 13 blasts were heard before and just after 2300 GMT Saturday. An AFP journalist was unable to say immediately what the targets had been.
State television channel Al Jamahiriya reported that "the colonialist crusader aggressor," a reference to NATO, had raided civilian and military sites in the Ain Zara district and Tajoura in the eastern suburbs of Tripoli.
The television, quoting a military source, said there had been victims but did not give any figure.
Earlier, Kadhafi repeated his intention to remain in power.
"They are asking me to leave. That's a laugh. I will never leave the land of my ancestors or the people who have sacrificed themselves for me," he said in a loudspeaker address to supporters in Zawiyah, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Tripoli.
Western and regional powers met in Istanbul on Friday for the fourth gathering of the Libya contact group, which saw a fresh call on Kadhafi to go after more than four decades in power.
"I'm ready to sacrifice myself for my people, and I will never quit this land sprinkled with the blood of my ancestors who fought Italian and British colonialists," he said of the five-month-long revolt against his rule.
"These rats have taken our people hostage in Benghazi, Misrata and the western mountains, using them as human shields," Kadhafi said of insurgents in the rebel capital in the east and port city in the west.
"Five million armed Libyans will march on them and liberate the occupied towns as soon as the order is given," he added.
Libya's rebels on Saturday suffered their bloodiest day yet in the offensive to wrest control of Brega from Moamer Kadhafi's troops, as medics said the death toll had risen to at least 12.
Nine people were killed Saturday and 79 were injured as loyalist landmines began to vie with Grad rockets to ramp up the casualties, according to a list from the hospital in nearby Ajdabiya.
Rebels said their steady advance on the key oil hub of Brega was slowed Saturday by the discovery of defensive trenches around the city that had been filled with flammable chemicals by retreating Kadhafi troops.
After a small rebel reconnaissance unit from the north punched through to Brega late on Friday before falling back, a rebel commander said troops were now moving "slowly but surely" towards it from the east and south as well.
It was not clear what kind of chemicals were being used, but Brega is home to a large petrochemical facility that produces a range of oil by-products.
Libya's largely volunteer rebel army began its push on Brega late on Thursday, hoping to oust an estimated 3,000 loyalist fighters and provide a morale boost for war-weary rebel supporters.
"Most of Kadhafi's troops seem to be at the centre," said rebel military spokesman Mohammed Zawi.
At a hospital in Ajdabiya, Dr Ahmed Dinari said many casualties were caused by landmines rather than heavy artillery.
"We have had five more injuries this morning, all of them from mine explosions," he said.
Lying prone in "Bed 2," 19-year-old Ali Saleh said he had been in the central rebel column when his armoured personnel carrier hit a mine.
"We were very close to Brega at around three in the morning. Then we got instructions from NATO to fall back and as we were falling back the vehicle hit a mine, destroying the chain track."
He was suffering from shock and a lightly damaged knee.
Sagezli said 250 mines had been uncovered so far.
The alliance said on Friday it hit one tank, a multiple rocket launcher, five armoured vehicles and seven armed vehicles around the town.
In raids near Tripoli, NATO aircraft also took out a radar facility and a surface-to-air missile launcher.
Southwest of the capital, a rebel checkpoint commander said Kadhafi troops had fired five missiles at their forces who responded with rockets.
"There has been no fighting in the valley (near Gualish); it is quiet. Kadhafi's forces have carried out several operations but they are sufficiently far from us not to pose any problems," Shaban Aaboz said.
Another commander said rebel forces were still positioned near Asabah, 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Tripoli and the last obstacle between rebels and the garrison town of Gharyan.
"The position is secure; we are discussing with Asabah people how civilians can get out of town before we launch an assault," said commander Mokhtar Lakhdar
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