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Plumes of heavy black smoke have been rising across Tripoli's skyline.
Libyan rebels have taken over Col Muammar Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli, one of the final areas under the Libyan leader's control.
Heavily armed fighters had earlier streamed into the capital in dozens of pick-up trucks to attack the compound. TV footage showed smoke rising from buildings across the city, and the sound of shelling could be heard.
Col Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam appeared in Tripoli overnight, hours after rebels said he had been captured.
A rebel leader said his appearance was embarrassing, but would not stop their advance.
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In the west of the city, many of the districts are solidly under the control of the rebels.
We watched as a large column of perhaps 60 rebel pick-up trucks with heavy weapons on the back moved off this morning to renew their assault.
The rebel leaders say they are now going to concentrate all their forces from different directions on Col Gaddafi's compound. They believe that is the key to bringing an end to this conflict.
If they can take the compound, if they can capture or kill Col Gaddafi, then they believe that the rest of the city and country will soon be under their control.
Analysis
We watched as a large column of perhaps 60 rebel pick-up trucks with heavy weapons on the back moved off this morning to renew their assault.
The rebel leaders say they are now going to concentrate all their forces from different directions on Col Gaddafi's compound. They believe that is the key to bringing an end to this conflict.
If they can take the compound, if they can capture or kill Col Gaddafi, then they believe that the rest of the city and country will soon be under their control.
On Tuesday morning, rebel commanders said they would concentrate all of their efforts on attacking the the heavily fortified Bab al-Aziziya compound.
The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in western Tripoli says they believe the key to ending this conflict is to capture or kill Col Gaddafi.Footage from Sky News showed gangs of rebels gathered about 50m (164ft) from the compound dressed in civilian clothes, some armed with rifles, others unarmed. The sound of shells exploding could be heard nearby.
Later reports said hundreds fighters had breached one of the gates of the compound, and that gangs were inside the compound firing guns into the air to celebrate.
Next moves Saif al-Islam, who spoke to journalists at the Rixos Hotel early on Tuesday, insisted the government had "broken the backbone" of the rebel offensive and that his father's supporters were winning the battle.
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Gaddafi's Compound
- Called Bab al-Aziziya, which means Splendid Gate in Arabic
- Stretches over 6 sq km (2.3 sq miles) of Tripoli
- Bombed by US in 1986 in retaliation for alleged murder of American troops in Berlin
- Giant sculpture of a gold clenched fist crushing a US warplane commemorates 1986 attack
- Allegedly linked to the sea by underground tunnels
But Western politicians, rebel leaders and the Nato military alliance dismissed his claims.
"A brief appearance at the dead of night doesn't indicate to me somebody who is in control of a country, or capital, or of anything much at all really," said Nato spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.A rebel leader said that his reappearance was unhelpful.
"He was captured and apparently he escaped; that's the information we're getting. To be honest, it's an embarrassment," Hany Hassan Soufrakis told the BBC.
Meanwhile, members of the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) in Benghazi said they planned to fly to the capital on Wednesday to start work on forming a new government.
NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil also said all Gaddafi aides would face justice and fair criminal trials.
"I will stand trial for years I served as a minister in the Gaddafi government," he told a news conference in Benghazi.
He advised Libyans to be tolerant, saying they should "avoid taking matters into their own hands and... abide by court rulings".
The NTC leadership has expressed concern about revenge attacks by some of the mosaic of different groups which make up the revolutionary army. In other developments:
- Turkey has announced it is giving $300m (£181m) to the NTC, including funds to form the new government
- Nato says it has destroyed two rocket launchers that were aiming fire at the town of Brega
- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said a boat it sent to Tripoli to evacuate migrant workers was unable to dock because of the security situation
- Egypt and Bahrain formally recognised the NTC as the legitimate government of the Libyan people
World leaders have urged Col Gaddafi to step down. US President Barack Obama said elements of the Gaddafi regime continued to pose a threat.
The uprising against Col Gaddafi's 41-year rule began in February. The rebels held the east of the country and pockets of the west, before making their push towards the capital at the weekend.
Nato air strikes have been targeting Col Gaddafi's forces, acting on a UN mandate to protect civilians.
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