Despite dramatic rebel strides and momentum, pro-Moammar Gadhafi forces toughed it out on Wednesday, striking back at Libyan rebels in several volatile pockets across Tripoli.
Gadhafi forces shot at least seven mortars into Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound, a day after rebel fighters captured the symbolic heart of the Libyan ruler's regime.
Fresh clashes between rebels and loyalists broke out Wednesday outside the Rixos hotel, where about 35 international journalists were trapped.
Several rockets landed near the Tripoli International Airport and rebel Commander Mukhtar Al-Akhbar said four rebel fighters were found bound and executed nearby.
Rebels control the hotly contested airport but were struggling to control an area east of it. The resistance caused them to speculate that loyalists could be protecting a high-profile figure in the vicinity.
The pro-Gadhafi resistance comes a day after rebels celebrated their most significant catch yet in the Libyan war with the capture of Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound in the capital.
The success punctuated the buoyant optimism of the rebels and its National Transitional Council political movement. The NTC claimed rebels now control 90 percent of the country -- engulfed by intense urban warfare for months and mourning for the lives of civilians who've died in the conflict.
Rebels said they had captured some of Gadhafi's forces inside the compound following an hours-long siege. They ransacked the facility and confiscated weapons there.
But neither Gadhafi nor any of his family members were found at the compound when rebels broke into it and ransacked it on Tuesday. And, a message of defiance said to be from the longtime Libyan leader emerged on Wednesday.
Two Arabic networks aired an audio message purportedly from Gadhafi that called upon all Libyans "to clear the city of Tripoli and eliminate the criminals, traitors and rats."
"They are hiding between the families and inside the civilian houses," the message said. "It's your duty to enter these houses and take them out."
CNN cannot confirm the authenticity of the message.
Hours earlier, Gadhafi spokesman Musa Ibrahim struck an equally defiant tone when he said government forces have the power to fight in Tripoli "not just for months -- for years."
"We will turn Libya into a volcano of lava and fire under the feet of the invaders and their treacherous agents," Ibrahim said in a phone call to satellite news channels, according to Reuters.
Mahmoud Shammam, NTC information minister, said it didn't matter where Gadhafi was.
"In a few hours, maximum a few days, we have a new Libya, a new, liberated Libya," he said Tuesday.
But a senior NATO official said the war was "not over yet, although it's close. We continue to watch for flare-ups from around the country, where there are still going to be pockets of resistance. We are also watching the chemical weapons and Scud missiles to make sure they are not used in the endgame."
Foreign countries are recognizing the NTC as Libya's rightful government, though Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said his country would only recognize a Libyan regime led by Gadhafi, his close ally.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said his country will consider establishing relations with Libyan rebels if they "have have the power and spirit and opportunity to unite the country on a new democratic basis."
However, "there are two governing powers in the country, and despite the rebels' success in Tripoli, Gadhafi and his loyalists retain influence and military potential," Medvedev said.
Critical to the rebels' ultimate success, Shammam said, will be the release of money that has been frozen in international banks. "We need to provide ourselves with a lot of necessities and we cannot do this without money," he said.
"Please, please, please, let the international community know -- we are hungry for freedom, we are hungry for democracy, we are hungry for a state of law and order and we would like everybody, everybody everywhere in Arab countries and in the international community to support us and help us to get that."
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