Akhir 13, 1432 H/March 18, 2011, SPA -- The United Nations on Thursday authorized the use of "all necessary measures" to protect civilians in Libya, opening the door to air and naval attacks against the forces of leader Moammar Gaddafi as he vowed to level the city of Benghazi, the last major rebel stronghold. In a 10 to 0 vote, with five abstentions, the Security Council called for an immediate cease-fire in Libya and approved the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libyan territory and the interdiction of ships carrying supplies to Gaddafi's government. In broad language, the council approved the use of any means short of "foreign occupation" to end strikes against "civilian populated areas under threat of attack.?.?. including Benghazi." U.S. officials said that it would probably take several days for a full operation to be undertaken and that President Obama had not yet approved the use of U.S. military assets. Obama has preferred to let other nations publicly lead the response to the Libyan crisis, and White House officials said he would not appear on camera Thursday night to speak about the U.N. vote.
