But he stressed that the current Western military operations in Libya were about protecting civilians. Shortly after Mr Obama spoke, loud explosions were reported near Colonel Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli.
Oil prices have
surge
d again after the latest air strikes against Libya. Prices rose nearly 1.5% on fears of
prolonged
fighting in Libya and supply
disruption
s elsewhere in the Middle East. Libyan oil exports have been halted by the uprising.
The President of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh has insisted that the majority of Yemenis still support him.
The president’s authority has been shaken by high-level resignations in recent days. Andrew Bolton of our Middle East desk reports.
The list of senior figures voicing support for the opposition in Yemen continues to grow. Among the latest, a prominent general, a number of other officers and a senior tribal leader. But President Saleh remains
defiant
. A source close to him told the BBC the president would not
stand down
and would call elections later in the year. The National Defense Council, which the president chairs, said the army would not hesitate, as it put it, to carry out its duty in the face of any coup plot.
Syrian troops have been deployed in the southern city of Deraa as thousands of demonstrators march for a fourth
successive
day calling for greater freedom and an end to corruption. At least six people have died in clashes with security forces, including an 11-year-old boy.