Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini (L) signs a memorandum of understanding with Ali al-Essawi (R), the foreign affairs chief in the rebels' National Transitional Council, in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, May 31, 2011

Both Frattini and the rebels’ foreign policy chief, Ali al-Essawi, said the Libyan leader has lost the support of top confidants and the international community. Eight Libyan military officers defected to Italy on Monday.

Fathi Baja, the man often identified as the rebel “foreign minister” also told journalists that in his estimation, the international community is becoming more insistent in its demands that Colonel Gadhafi step down and leave the country.

"The discourse now of the international community in general has been changed. Now, they are not talking about political initiatives. Now, they're talking about - most of them - they are talking about steps for Gadhafi [to] leave, and this is really for us, some kind of change," he said.

Overnight, NATO warplanes struck near the Libyan capital, triggering several explosions. NATO indicated Tuesday it had struck four military sites to destroy missile launchers, radar and a vehicle storage facility.

Libyan government-run TV slammed the attacks, complaining that NATO had hit military and civilian targets, causing casualties and destruction.