BBC News with Marion Marshall
Forces loyal to the Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi have been fighting on two fronts as the government tries to re-establish control. In one of Libya's biggest cities, al-Zawiya, 50km west of the capital Tripoli, witnesses said many people were killed when government forces attempted to re-capture the city. Hundreds of kilometres to the east, there are conflicting claims about who now controls the oil port of Ras Lanuf after a day of clashes. John Simpson reports from the road near the city.
Spirit and enthusiasm of the rebels is their main weapon. This is the second battle where it's being tested. Close up, the fighting was pretty fierce. Colonel Gaddafi's men were beaten
the other day
, but here they've got
superiority
in weapons, and they are on their own home territory. The battle has been moving backwards and forwards all afternoon and into the evening.
In the Libyan capital Tripoli, the security forces fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters who took to the streets after Friday prayers. The demonstrations came despite a heavy military presence in the suburb of Tajura, the scene of previous challenges to the authority of Colonel Gaddafi. Jeremy Bowen was there.
The demonstration was small but symbolically important enough for the police to break it up. They arrived after about an hour, firing volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets. All the
hatred
for Colonel Gaddafi and his system here in Tajura and elsewhere won't, on its own, bring the regime down.