Opposition forces in Libya have mounted a new assault on Sirte, Colonel Gaddafi's home city. Columns of smoke were seen as fighters tried to force their way through densely populated areas in the face of fierce resistance. Alastair Leithead reports.

利比亚反对派军队对卡扎菲上校的故乡苏尔特发动了新的袭击。叛军战士试图强行穿过人口密集的地区时遭遇了顽强的抵抗，该地区上空出现滚滚浓烟。Alastair Leithead报道。

The front lines around Sirte are moving forward. Tanks had to be jump-started today to keep up with the pace of the assault on Colonel Gaddafi's birthplace. After a week dug into their positions on the eastern coast road, a heavy barrage of rockets, artillery shells and Nato bombs has again pushed pro-Gaddafi troops back. To the south, the civilians who became soldiers are still firing from their pick-up trucks, and in the west too, loosely surrounding the city and moving forward every day.

苏尔特周围的战线已经向前推进。为了配合对卡扎菲上校出生地的进攻速度，反对派还启动了坦克。在东部沿海道路的据点向前推进了一周的时间之后，大量火箭弹，炮弹和北约炸弹再次将亲卡扎菲的军队击退。在南面，成为士兵的平民仍然从他们的便捷卡车中开枪。在西面，反对派也松散地包围了这座城市，每天都在向前推进。

A conference of veteran opposition figures in Syria has ended with a call for the formation of a national coalition to include all parties opposed to the current President Bashar al-Assad. The authorities did not prevent the meeting taking place, but kept a close watch on those who attended. From Damascus, Lina Sinjab reports.