Libyan authorities on Tuesday accused NATO of a "massacre" of 85 villagers in air strikes supporting rebels, whose political leadership is in crisis after the sacking of its top officials.
The village of Majar in western Libya was attacked late Monday to try to help rebels enter the government-held city, government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim said.
"After the first three bombs dropped at around 11:00 pm (2100 GMT) on Monday, many residents of the area ran to the bombed houses to try to save their loved ones. Three more bombs struck," Ibrahim told reporters.
Thirty-three children, 32 women and 20 men from 12 families were killed in the "massacre," Mussa said.
Rebels fighting around Zliten, 120 kilometres to the east of Tripoli, said on Monday they were running low on ammunition as they struggled to hold off an assault by Qaddafi forces.
Abdul Wahab Melitan, a rebel spokesman in the nearby port city of Misrata, said forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi had launched an assault on their positions around Zliten on Sunday.
The rebels, advancing from Misrata, a week ago punched into the centre of Zliten, sparking fierce clashes. But they later pulled back to the edge of the city of 200,000 inhabitants.
NATO in Brussels said alliance warplanes hit eight targets in the Zliten area on Sunday -- four command and control nodes, one military facility, a weapons dump, an anti-tank weapon and a multiple rocket launcher.
Early on Tuesday, explosions in the Fernej district of southwest Tripoli struck at between 1:00 am (2300 GMT) and 2:00 am, sending flames shooting into the night sky, an AFP correspondent said.
They were followed by a series of smaller blasts, suggesting an arms depot had been hit. Two other explosions followed at around 6:00 am, he said.
Meanwhile, rebel political leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil disbanded the executive council in Benghazi amidst criticism over its handling of the investigation into the killing of rebel military General Abdel Fatah Younes – who was slain under still murky circumstances during his return to Benghazi under arrest in late July.