Tune in to "AC360º" for the latest on what's next for Libya, the opposition and Moammar Gadhafi. Watch "AC360º" at 10 p.m. ET Wednesday on CNN. 
 
 Benghazi, Libya (CNN) -- The head of the interim government in eastern Libya pleaded Wednesday for the international community to move quickly to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, declaring that any delay would result in more casualties. 
 
 "It has to be immediate action," Mustafa Abdul-Jalil told CNN in an exclusive interview in this eastern opposition stronghold. "The longer the situation carries on, the more blood is shed. That's the message that we want to send to the international community. They have to live up to their responsibility with regards to this." 
 
 After the uprising began February 15, Abdul-Jalil was among the government officials who broke with the regime. He has gone on to lead the opposition's National Transitional Council, a 31-member group representing most regions in Libya. The group has met in Benghazi, an eastern town that has become an opposition stronghold. 
 
 Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi told a Turkish reporter in an interview Tuesday that the imposition of a no-fly zone would simply unite the Libyan people behind him. "They will be united against the new attempt for occupation and imperialistic interests and it will be clear that they are conspiring against Libya," he said. "It will also be clear that the intentions are to control Libya's oil, choke Libya's liberty, land and people." 
 
 Abdul-Jalil's remarks came shortly after Gadhafi's regime announced a reward for Abdul-Jalil's capture, branding him "an agent spy." 
 
 In an "urgent" banner on state television, the government said its General Administration for Criminal Investigation was offering 500,000 Libyan dinars ($410,900 U.S.) "for whoever captures and hands over" the "agent spy" Abdul-Jalil, and "another offer of 200,000 Libyan dinars ($164,300 U.S.) for whoever offers information leading to his actual arrest." 
 
 In a letter to the U.N. General Assembly, the transitional council asked that it be recognized as "the sole representative of all Libya." It also asked the international community to "fulfill its obligations to protect the Libyan people from any further genocide and crimes against humanity without any direct military intervention on Libyan soil." The letter, which was dated March 5, was made public Wednesday. 
 
 The move to target Abdul-Jalil came as Gadhafi fought to advance against rebels who have taken control of many parts of the country. On Wednesday, pro-Gadhafi forces launched fresh attacks on Ras Lanuf, using planes and heavy artillery in an effort to retake the eastern oil city. 
 
 Opposition fighters, armed with anti-aircraft guns and Soviet rifles, were outgunned by the heavily armed pro-Gadhafi forces. 
 
 CNN's Ben Wedeman reported that an intense artillery bombardment was under way on the western edge of Ras Lanuf, where ambulances lined up to the emergency ward at Ras Lanuf's only hospital to drop off the wounded. 
 
 More than 25 people were wounded, said Dr. Ali Al-Bart, at Ras Lanuf Hospital. "It's very bad, the situation is very bad," he said. 
 
 Opposition efforts remained, but appeared weak. Ahmed Faturi left his clothing store in Benghazi to carry a SAM-7 surface-to-air missile, but knew he had little chance of hitting a plane with it. 
 
 And he expressed little hope that a no-fly zone would ever materialize. "Just talk," he said. 
 
 A few days ago, the rebel forces were advancing steadily westward toward Gadhafi's stronghold in the capital city of Tripoli. But that advancement appears to have reversed. 
 
 In Ras Lanuf, an oil storage tank to the west was hit in the fighting, though it was not clear who was responsible. Libyan state television reported that "armed groups supported by al Qaeda blew up an oil tank as they withdrew from Ras Lanuf against the advancing Libyan armed forces." 
 
 The attack marked the first time since the rebellion began more than three weeks ago that Libya's oil infrastructure has been damaged. 
 
 Gadhafi has shown no sign of giving up. On state television, he again insisted Tuesday night that youths misled and drugged by al Qaeda were to blame for the fighting. "For them, everybody's their enemy," Gadhafi said. "They know nothing other than killing." 
 
 The speech was recorded earlier Tuesday when Gadhafi addressed a youth group of tribal supporters, urging them to defend Libya from those who envy its standard of living. 
 
 "They want to take your petrol," he said. "This is what America, this is what the French, those colonialists, want." 
 
 A private Libyan aircraft crossed Greek airspace Wednesday en route to Cairo, Egypt, and the pilot said there were two passengers on board, according to Greek civil aviation authorities. The pilot did not identify the passengers, aviation authorities said. Multiple media reports said the plane landed in Cairo. 
 
 The development raised questions about whether Libyan officials may have flown to Cairo. 
 
 On Tuesday, an opposition member said Gadhafi was negotiating an exit deal, but other opposition members and the government denied that. 
 
 In the fourth week of what has become a civil war, Gadhafi's regime has held on to the capital, while losing control to the opposition in some other areas. Benghazi, in eastern Libya, is an opposition stronghold. 
 
 People in some towns in the western part of the country told CNN Wednesday their areas were under rebel control. 
 
 In Zuwarah, two sources said the city, which is located between Zawiya and the country's western border, with Tunisia, was surrounded by Gadhafi supporters but most shops and banks were operating normally. 
 
 A witness described the scene as tense, with schools, government offices and businesses closed. Demonstrations were no longer being held because, the witness said, "There is no one to protest against." 
 
 Two Zuwarah residents said "messengers from Gadhafi" had warned local leaders Wednesday to surrender or face attack. 
 
 The "messengers" told the leaders that replacing the pre-Gadhafi regime flag in the city with the government's green flag would be interpreted as a sign of solidarity with the regime, the sources said. 
 
 They added that there had been implicit threats against Zuwarah to bomb two nearby facilities: a petro-chemical plant 15 kilometers away and a gas export facility 30 kilometers away. 
 
 In Zawiya, two sources said the fighting continued in the city center Wednesday, but to a lesser extent than on Tuesday. They said the opposition occupied the city center, which was surrounded by the military. On the outskirts of the city, pro-Gadhafi rallies were being held, they said. 
 
 But Libyan television reported that Gadhafi supporters were celebrating "the liberation of the town from the armed terrorist elements backed by al Qaeda" in the main square. 
 
 Access to the city was limited. A witness told CNN she tried to travel from Tripoli to Zawiya but was turned away at various checkpoints. 
 
 Communications were so difficult that CNN was not able to talk with anyone in the city. One Zawiya resident, who told CNN she had to make the 40-minute trip to Tripoli to make a phone call, said there had been no electricity in Zawiya for the previous day. 
 
 In addition, two medical clinics that were shut Tuesday by the military remained closed Wednesday, she said. 
 
 Another source who fled Zawiya Tuesday for the Tunisian border said many bodies in the city lay unclaimed because relatives -- fearing violence -- would not go to graveyards to bury them. 
 
 Residents of Zuwarah sent weapons, explosives, and medical supplies via a small boat to Zawiya, the witness said. The man who drove the boat dropped the supplies immediately upon arrival and fled out of fear. 
 
 Libyan state TV showed video of government supporters cheering in Zawiya's streets and hoisting the government flag on Wednesday. 
 
 Witnesses said fear remained widespread in the capital, where schools were closed. A resident said she called several banks to ask about taking out money but was told that there was a shortage of cash. 
 
 Nalut was under opposition control and calm Wednesday, a witness said. In Ajdabiya and Misrata, spokesmen for opposition groups said those towns remained under opposition control and were calm as well. 
 
 Two doctors in Misrata said medical supplies were in short supply. More than 80 people remained at Central Misrata Hospital recovering from wounds suffered Sunday in fighting, they said. 
 
 Libya's government sought Wednesday to influence international sentiment, announcing that Libya's secretary of state for international relations will travel to Portugal, Greece and Malta on an exploratory fact-finding mission that may include other destinations. 
 
 Libya has invited British, French, Dutch and German fact-finding teams to Libya to examine reports of aerial bombardment and massacres. Libya had received no response from any of the invitees. 
 
 The decision about whether to impose a no-fly zone is a complicated one, said Nicholas Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO. 
 
 "There's no assurance that the imposition of even a no-fly zone would make a decisive difference in the battle," Burns said. "Gadhafi has ground forces. He has artillery, he has a mercenary army. That's 95 percent of the fighting under way in Libya." 
 
 And it would not prove to be a panacea, the head of the U.S. Marine Corps told lawmakers Tuesday. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos said that a no-fly zone would do little to thwart Libya's helicopters, which he called "their greatest threat." 
 
 A no-fly zone would typically be enforced by fighter jets whose speed and altitude make it difficult to target helicopters, which move low and slow, Amos said. 
 
 For its part, Libya said it was not misusing its air force. Any no-fly zone would be tantamount to an act of war, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Karim said Tuesday. 
 
 The military, he said, "are taking purely defensive positions; they are not taking offensive ones." He said the Libyan government has asked for international monitors to verify that assertion. 
 
 The protests against the 68-year-old Gadhafi began February 15 as anti-government demonstrators sought his ouster after nearly 42 years of rule. 
 
 Death toll estimates have ranged from more than 1,000 to as many as 2,000. And the war has forced out 215,000 people, many of them poor migrant workers who have been stranded at both the Tunisian and Egyptian borders, the U.N. refugee agency has said. 
 
 While many countries chartered planes and dispatched ships to whisk away their citizens to safety, those stuck at the border are sheltered in cramped, unsanitary quarters with little to eat. 
 
 The United Nations' special representative for children and armed conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, said her office had received unconfirmed reports of violence against children, "including killing and maiming and use of children as combatants and the denial of humanitarian access." 
 
 Valerie Amos, the United Nations under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, called for all Libyan civilians to be protected. 
 
 "I am deeply concerned about the reportedly indiscriminate nature of the fighting, and particularly the use of heavy artillery and aerial bombardments," she said in a statement. "We are also hearing reports of hospital closures at the very time when people most need medical care." 
 
 The U.N. World Food Programme has initiated a $39.2 million emergency operation intended to provide food to more than 1 million people in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia over a three-month period. 
 
 In the latest sign of international solidarity with the Libyan opposition, a group of people entered a home in London Wednesday owned by Saif Gadhafi, the Libyan leader's son who has spoken on behalf of the regime in recent weeks. They could be seen hanging a banner out an upstairs window with a picture of Gadhafi in a red circle with a line through it. 
 
 "Out of Libya," the sign says, "Out of London." London Metropolitan police said only the situation was "being treated as a civil matter." 
 
 CNN's Ben Wedeman, Whitney Hurst, Nic Robertson, Chris Lawrence, Arwa Damon, Salma Abdelaziz, Jomana Karadsheh and Caroline Faraj contributed to this report ||||| RAS LANOUF, Libya — Forces loyal to Moammar Gaddafi struck an oil pipeline and oil storage facility Wednesday, sending a giant yellow fireball into the sky as they pounded rebels with artillery and gunfire in at least two major cities. 
 
 Gaddafi appeared to be keeping up the momentum he has seized in recent days in his fight against rebels trying to move on the capital, Tripoli, from territory they hold in eastern Libya. State television claimed Gaddafi's forces had retaken Zawiya, the city closest to Tripoli that had fallen into opposition hands. 
 
 There was no was to immediately verify the claim. Gaddafi forces have been waging a heavy siege on the city since last week, and phone lines there have not been working for days. State TV showed a crowd of hundreds, purportedly in Zawiya's main square on Wednesday, carrying images of Gaddafi and shouting "The people want Colonel Gaddafi!" 
 
 The fall of Zawiya to anti-Gaddafi residents early on in the uprising that began Feb. 15 had illustrated the initial, blazing progress of the opposition, which has now been blunted. 
 
 In the east, an Associated Press reporter at Ras Lanouf near the front line of fighting saw an explosion from the area of the Sidr oil facility, 360 miles (580 kilometers) east of Tripoli. Three columns of thick smoke rose from the area, apparently from burning oil. 
 
 Mustafa Gheriani, an opposition spokesman, said the government artillery hit a pipeline supplying Sidr from oil fields in the desert. An oil storage depot also was hit, apparently by an airstrike, he said. 
 
 Gaddafi's successes have left Western powers struggling to come up with a plan to support the rebels without becoming ensnared in the complex and fast-moving conflict. On Wednesday, a high-ranking member of the Libyan military flew to Cairo with a message for Egyptian army officials from Gaddafi, but no further details were known. 
 
 President Barack Obama's most senior advisers were meeting Wednesday to outline what steps are realistic and possible to pressure Gaddafi to halt the violence and give up power. 
 
 They planned to examine the ramifications of a no-fly zone over Libya and other potential military options, U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations. 
 
 Britain and France are pushing for the U.N. to create a no-fly zone over the country, and while the U.S. may be persuaded to sign on, such a move is unlikely to win the backing of veto-wielding Security Council members Russia and China, which traditionally object to such steps as infringements on national sovereignty. 
 
 The two sides in Libya traded barrages of artillery shells and rockets Wednesday afternoon about 12 miles (20 kilometers) west of the oil port of Ras Lanouf, an indication that regime forces were much closer than previously known to that city. Ras Lanouf is the westernmost point seized by rebels moving along the country's main highway on the Mediterranean coast. 
 
 Four bodies were brought to the morgue at the hospital in Ras Lanouf, doctors said. 
 
 Warplanes streaked overhead and a yellow fireball erupted at or near the location of a small oil terminal. Pillars of black smoke also rose from the direction of the town of Bin Jawwad, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) to the west. 
 
 03/11/2011 6:31 PM EST U.S. Extends Sanctions On Libya Reports the AP: The Obama administration extended its Libya sanctions to more Gadhafi family members and close advisers on Thursday, blacklisting business with the Libyan leader's wife, four of his children and his chief of military intelligence. The Treasury Department froze the assets of nine Libyans in all as part of the strategy to peel off Moammar Gadhafi's closest advisers while punishing those who remain loyal to the regime even as it commits human rights violations. The sanctions come on top of those previously announced by the administration, which accounted for $32 billion in Libyan government assets blocked in the United States. 03/11/2011 5:33 PM EST Sarkozy Calls For Air Strikes If Gaddafi Attacks Civilians French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for airstrikes against Gaddafi forces if the leader attacks civilians. According to the Guardian: Nicolas Sarkozy has called for targeted air strikes against Muammar Gaddafi's regime if his forces use chemical weapons or launch air strikes against civilians. As the EU foreign policy chief, Lady Ashton, warned that a no-fly zone could risk civilian lives in Libya, the French president told an emergency EU summit in Brussels that air strikes may soon be justified. "The strikes would be solely of a defensive nature if Mr Gaddafi makes use of chemical weapons or air strikes against non-violent protesters," Sarkozy said. The French president qualified his remarks by saying he had many reservations about military intervention in Libya "because Arab revolutions belong to Arabs". 03/11/2011 5:06 PM EST Dutch Helicopter Crew Freed A Dutch helicopter crew taken captive in Libya has been freed and sent to Greece. The BBC is reporting: The two men and one woman arrived in Athens on a Greek military transport plane hours after a son of Muammar Gaddafi announced their release. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said Libya would hold on to the crew's Lynx helicopter. The woman pilot, Yvonne Niersman, took part in a mission last year to free a German ship from Somali pirates. Ms Niersman and her fellow crew members were captured in Libya after flying in from the Dutch warship Tromp, anchored off the coast. Read the entire report here. 03/11/2011 4:43 PM EST McCain Praises Moroccan King Senator John McCain praised Morocco's King Mohammed VI for his pledge to introduce democratic reforms. According to the AFP: "This new reform agenda builds on the king's long-standing commitment to lead Morocco to a future of reform and modernization, and it could ensure that the Kingdom of Morocco will continue to stand as a positive example to governments across the Middle East and North Africa," said McCain. 03/11/2011 3:40 PM EST Gaddafi Offers Amnesty To Rebels Reuters is reporting that Gaddafi is now offering to offer amnesty to those rebels who lay own arms. 03/11/2011 3:28 PM EST 2 Protesters Killed In Tunisia The AP reports: Tunisia's Interior Ministry says a new eruption of violence between police and protesters has killed two people and injured 20. The ministry says on its Facebook page that police fired tear gas and demonstrators threw stones and gasoline bombs. The statement says two protesters were killed in the incident in Metlaoui, a mining town in the center of the Mediterranean country. The violence comes as Tunisia's interim government is trying to restore stability after deadly protests that drove out longtime leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January. That prompted uprisings around the Arab world. 03/11/2011 2:39 PM EST Berlusconi Says Hardline With Gaddafi A Mistake Berlusconi is saying that the West may have made a mistake by taking a hardline against Gaddafi, which may have backed the Libyan leader into a corner. Reports Reuters: The hardline stance taken by major powers against Muammar Gaddafi may have backed the Libyan leader into a corner and prevented a quiet exit, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Friday. Speaking after a special meeting of EU leaders, Berlusconi, one of Gaddafi's closest friends in Europe until the current upheaval, said the chances of persuading him to give up power voluntarily now appeared to have disappeared. "Once someone put forward the idea of bringing Gaddafi before the International Criminal Court, I think the idea of staying in power became entrenched with him and I don't think anyone can make him change his mind," he told reporters. Read the entire report here. 03/11/2011 2:16 PM EST Who Are The Libyan Rebels? The AP is reporting that the rebels fighting Gaddafi forces are amateurs, but deeply committed to the cause: Moammar Gadhafi has ruled Libya since long before the 25-year-old was born, and he hates the dictator enough to risk his life by fighting for the ragtag rebel force battling government troops along a desolate highway on the North African country's Mediterranean coast. "I will fight forever. I will die or win, like Omar Mukhtar," said Salem, invoking the legendary Libyan hero who fought Italian occupiers in the 1930s, was ultimately executed, and has become a symbol for the new revolutionaries. The front-line force trying to advance toward Gadhafi's stronghold in the capital Tripoli is surprisingly small. Not counting supporters who bolster them in the towns along their path, it is estimated at 1,500 at most — Libyans from all walks of life, from students and coffeeshop owners to businessmen who picked up whatever weapons they could and joined the fight. No one seems to know their full size, and they could be picking up new members all the time. Its ramshackle nature explains the dramatic lurches the fighting has taken. Last week, they took control over a stretch of Mediterranean coastal land that included major oil installations in the ports of Brega and Ras Lanouf. They charged enthusiastically further west, reaching within a few dozen miles of Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, a bastion of support for the leader of 41 years. 03/11/2011 1:03 PM EST Gaddafi Forces Show Signs Of Victory Reports the AP: Moammar Gadhafi's regime has gained momentum with the capture of a key city near Tripoli after days of fierce fighting with rebels. The battle for Zawiya has emerged as a key test in the government's ability to maintain its hold on the Libyan capital and surrounding areas. The government had claimed victory on Wednesday, but the rebels who are seeking to oust Gadhafi said fighting was ongoing. An Associated Press reporter, who was escorted with other journalists into the city on Friday, says the main square that had been the center of resistance is clearly in government control. 03/11/2011 12:47 PM EST Obama On Libya Obama noted all of the sanctions and property seizures that have already been implemented against Gaddafi, saying, "Across the board, we are tightening the noose on Gaddafi." He says that NATO is discussing potential military actions in Libya, including a no-fly zone, and will meet on Tuesday. He said that a position will be created for a liaison to speak with Libyan opposition groups. He said that the international community had moved quickly to isolate Gaddafi. Obama said that no options have been taken off the table so far. In response to a question about whether it would ever be acceptable to the U.S. for Gaddafi to stay in power, Obama stated that "it is in the U.S.' interest and the interest of the Libyan people for Gaddafi to leave." He added, however, that when making a decision to engage militarily, he would weigh the "costs and benefits." Load More
– Moammar Gadhafi put a price on the head of a Libyan opposition leader today, offering the equivalent of $419,000 for the capture of Mustafa Abdul Jalil, CNN reports. Libyan state television branded the head of the interim government in eastern Libya an "agent spy" and offered an additional $164,300 for information leading to his capture. Meanwhile, the rebel leader himself urged the international community to put a no-fly zone in effect. "It has to be immediate action," said Abdul Jalil, who resigned as Gadhafi's minister of justice when the unrest began. "The longer the situation carries on, the more blood is shed." Click for the latest on the day's fighting.