BENGHAZI: France said Friday military action against Libya would come "within hours", as a UN vote approving air strikes was celebrated by rebels and Muammar Gaddafi's son said his family was "not afraid."
The strikes will come "rapidly... within a few hours," French government spokesman Francois Baroin said after the UN Security Council on Thursday cleared the way for air raids to protect civilians from Gaddafi's advancing forces.
Baroin said the goal of the military action would be to "protect the Libyan people and to allow them to go all the way in their drive for freedom, which means bringing down the Gaddafi regime."
So far Britain, France, the United States, Norway and Qatar are among the countries that have said they will help to enforce the no-fly zone, while China, Germany, Poland, Australia and Russia have indicated they will not.
NATO said it will discuss Friday what role the alliance may take.
The main rebel bastion Benghazi erupted with fireworks and joyful gunfire late on Thursday after news spread of the passing of the UN resolution, which approves "all necessary measures" to impose a no-fly zone, protect civilian areas and pressure the veteran Libyan leader into accepting a ceasefire.
The strikes will come "rapidly... within a few hours," French government spokesman Francois Baroin said after the UN Security Council on Thursday cleared the way for air raids to protect civilians from Gaddafi's advancing forces.
Baroin said the goal of the military action would be to "protect the Libyan people and to allow them to go all the way in their drive for freedom, which means bringing down the Gaddafi regime."
So far Britain, France, the United States, Norway and Qatar are among the countries that have said they will help to enforce the no-fly zone, while China, Germany, Poland, Australia and Russia have indicated they will not.
NATO said it will discuss Friday what role the alliance may take.
The main rebel bastion Benghazi erupted with fireworks and joyful gunfire late on Thursday after news spread of the passing of the UN resolution, which approves "all necessary measures" to impose a no-fly zone, protect civilian areas and pressure the veteran Libyan leader into accepting a ceasefire.
