Libya lurched closer towards a full-blown civil war as troops loyal to Muammer Gaddafi launched a counter-offensive against rebel forces advancing in the east and attacked opposition towns in the west.

Pro-regime forces armed with artillery and supported by aircraft attacked opposition forces in Bin Jawad, a small town east of Sirte, which is a key target for rebel troops as it is Col Gaddafi’s birthplace and one of his few remaining strongholds.

The opposition fighters had moved into Bin Jawad on Saturday after recapturing Ras Lanuf, an important oil terminal which was also the target of air strikes on Sunday. Sirte is considered critical in the conflict as it is thought to be heavily defended by regime troops and lies along a strategic coastal highway that links the opposition-controlled east to the west. There were also reports of Col Gaddafi’s forces using tanks, helicopters and artillery as they battled for control of Zawiya, west of Tripoli, and Misrata, to the east of the capital.