TRIPOLI, Libya – Vandals attacked the Italian and British embassies in the Libyan capital Sunday, hours after Moammar Gadhafi escaped a NATO missile strike that officials said killed one of his sons and three young grandchildren. The unrest prompted the United Nations to pull its international staff out of Tripoli.
NATO's attack on a blast wall-ringed Gadhafi family compound in a residential area of Tripoli late Saturday signaled escalating pressure on the Libyan leader who has tried to crush an armed rebellion that erupted in mid-February. Libyan officials denounced the strike as an assassination attempt and a violation of international law. It also said the "disproportionate use of force ... is leading to detrimental consequences and the death of innocent civilians." The ministry called for "an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of a political settlement process without preconditions."
NATO warplanes have been carrying out airstrikes in Libya for the past six weeks as part of a U.N. mandate to protect Libyan civilians. ( AP )
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