Automatic gunfire and explosions have been heard in the Libyan capital Tripoli, the Al Jazeera news network reported.
Blasts and gunfire rocked Tripoli on Saturday and witnesses reported fighting in the eastern neighborhoods of Souq al-Jomaa, Arada and Tajoura as Libyan rebels said they launched an attack on Tripoli shortly after seizing the strategic nearby city of Zawiya.
A government spokesman said the attack on Tripoli by rebels seeking to depose longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi had been "dealt with."
"Sure, there were some armed militants who escaped into some neighborhoods and there were some scuffles, but we dealt with it within a half hour and it is now calm," spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said. "The situation is under control."
