TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Western powers launched a second wave of air strikes on Libya early on Monday after halting the advance of Muammar Gaddafi's forces on Benghazi and targeting air defences to let their planes patrol the skies.
The U.N.-mandated intervention to protect civilians caught up in a one-month-old revolt against Gaddafi drew criticism from Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who questioned the need for a heavy bombardment, which he said had killed many civilians.
But the United States, carrying out the air strikes in a coalition with Britain, France, Italy and Canada among others, said the campaign was working and dismissed a ceasefire announcement by the Libyan military on Sunday evening.
Britain's Defence Ministry said one of its submarines had again fired Tomahawk cruise missiles on Sunday night as part of a second wave of attacks to enforce the U.N. resolution.
"We and our international partners are continuing operations in support of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973," a ministry spokesman said.
The intervention is the biggest against an Arab country since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Withdrawal of Arab support would make it much harder to pursue what some defence analysts say could in any case be a difficult, open-ended campaign with an uncertain outcome.
Asked about Moussa's comments, Michele Flournoy, Under Secretary at the U.S. Department for Defense, told the BBC:
"I think that may be the case that people don't understand the military dimensions of what was required to establish the no-fly zone but I can tell you that we continue to have messages of support, statements of support from a number of Arab countries."
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