A Nato air strike on the Libyan capital Tripoli has badly damaged buildings in Col Muammar Gaddafi's compound.
Reports said at least two powerful missiles struck the Libyan leader's sprawling Bab al-Azizia compound early on Monday.
Three TV stations briefly went off the air following the explosions.
The blasts were among the biggest to hit Tripoli so far, correspondents said. Nato is targeting Col Gaddafi's forces as he tries to quell a revolt.
The BBC's Ian Pannell in Tripoli said the damaged buildings appeared to be the same ones that Col Gaddafi used to host a recent visit by an African Union peace mission.
Reports said Libyan Television and the Jamahiriya and Shababiya TV stations were off air for about half-an-hour following the blasts.
On Sunday, forces loyal to the Libyan leader bombarded areas of the western city of Misrata, despite the regime saying it had halted attacks to allow local tribes to negotiate with rebels.
Shortly after midnight there were at least two huge explosions in the capital.
The target appears to have been office buildings that make up part of Col Gaddafi's compound. The devastation is significant with walls blown out, roofs caved in and debris spread over a wide area.
Smoke rose from the shattered building as firemen sprayed foam on to the rubble. Some officials at the scene said there had been some injuries, others contradicted that.
Nato says it has been actively targeting command and control positions, but it is impossible to know whether this site did have a military purpose. There certainly didn't seem to be any obvious evidence of it.
For supporters of the regime rallying in front of the wreckage this was a personal attack against Col Gaddafi himself and they vowed to stay at the site despite Nato warnings to leave.
At least six people were reported killed in the latest bombardment, which reportedly hit the city centre and three residential districts.
A captured pro-Gaddafi soldier told AFP news agency that loyalist forces were losing the battle for Misrata.
"Many soldiers want to surrender but they are afraid of being executed [by rebels]," said Lili Mohammed, a Mauritanian hired to fight the insurgents.
On Sunday, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said the army was pausing to allow local tribes to settle the battle "peacefully and not militarily".
But Col Omar Bani, military spokesman for the rebels' Transitional National Council (TNC), said Col Gaddafi was "playing a really dirty game" in an attempt to divide his opponents.
"It is a trick, they didn't go," Col Bani said in the eastern city of Benghazi. "They have stayed a bit out of Tripoli Street but they are preparing themselves to attack again."
BBC
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