Tunisia Threatens Libya Over Rocket Attacks

May 18, 2011

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Tunisia Threatens Libya Over Rocket Attacks

6:39am UK, Wednesday May 18, 2011

Tunisia has threatened to report Libya to the UN Security Council if it fires on

border areas again amid claims rockets were fired by Colonel Gaddafi's forces.

Pressure has been piling on the Libyan leader after an apparent defection by his

oil minister and further Nato air strikes on Tripoli.

Now, a Tunisian foreign ministry source has warned the government would take

diplomatic action over " continuing firing of rockets " towards Tunisian

territory.

Earlier on Tuesday at least four Russian-made Grad rockets fired from Libya

landed inside Tunisia, according to reports.

The attacks forced Libyan rebels to pull back briefly from the Dehiba-Wazin

border crossing, but they kept control despite several rebel deaths and

injuries.

A Tunisian government official has said oil minister Shukri Ghanem, a veteran of

Col Gaddafi's regime, had left Libya at the weekend and was in neighbouring

Tunisia.

Ghanem, also chairman of Libya's national oil company, reportedly crossed the

border by car on Saturday and checked into a hotel on the southern tourist

island of Djerba.

A Libyan government spokesman denied the defection, but if confirmed Ghanem

would be among the most senior officials to abandon the regime since the

anti-government uprising began in February.

On Monday night, air strikes by Nato set fire to buildings near Gaddafi's

compound in Tripoli.

Britain, one of the main powers enforcing the no-fly zone, confirmed attacks

overnight in Tripoli by Tomahawk missiles and Royal Air Force Tornado aircraft,

which it said struck intelligence agency buildings and a military training base.

Nato has denied claims on Libyan state TV that one of its warships was damaged

by Libyan forces off the coast of the rebel-held city of Misratah.

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