Gadhafi vows 'long war' after US, allies strike

TRIPOLI, Libya – A defiant Moammar Gadhafi vowed a "long war" after the U.S. and European militaries blasted his forces with airstrikes and over 100 cruise missiles, hitting air defenses and at least two major air bases early Sunday, shaking the Libyan capital with explosions and anti-aircraft fire.

Despite the strikes, Gadhafi's troops lashed back, bombarding the rebel-held city of Misrata with artillery and tanks on Sunday, the opposition reported.

The nighttime barrage, mainly by U.S and British ships and submarines, marked the widest international military effort since the Iraq war. The international air assault came as Gadhafi's overwhelming firepower was threatening to crush the month-old rebellion against his 41-year rule. State television said 48 people were killed in the strikes.

The strikes by missiles and warplanes hit one of Libya's main air bases, on Tripoli's outskirts, the opposition said. Also hit, it said, was an air force complex outside Misrata, the last rebel-held city in western Libya — which has been under siege the past week by Gadhafi forces. Those forces have been bombarding the city from the complex, which houses an air base and a military academy.

Despite the strikes, Gadhafi forces resumed bombarding Misrata after daylight on Sunday, said Switzerland-based Libyan activist Fathi al-Warfali.

"Misrata is the only city in western Libya not under Gadhafi's control; he is trying hard to change its position," said al-Warfali, who told The Associated Press he was in touch with residents in the city.

In Benghazi, the rebel capital and first city to fall to the uprising that began Feb. 15, people said the strikes happened just in time. Libyan government tanks and troops on Saturday had reached the edges of the city in eastern Libya in fierce fighting that killed more than 120 people according to Gibreil Hewadi, a member of the rebel health committee in Benghazi. He said the dead included rebel fighters and civilians, among them women and children.

Sunday, the city was quiet. As part of the international assault, French warplanes hit targets in the Benghazi area.

"It was a matter of minutes and Gadhafi's forces would have been in Benghazi," said Akram Abdul Wahab, a 20-year-old butcher in the city.

Mohammed Faraj, 44, a former military man who joined the rebels, held a grenade in each hand as he manned a checkpoint on the outskirts of the city.

"Me and all of Benghazi, we will die before Gadhafi sets foot here again," Faraj told The Associated Press. "Our spirits are very high."

The initial missile assault of 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles aimed to take out Gadhafi's air defenses to clear the way for enforcing a no-fly zone, targeting more than 20 radar systems, communications centers and surface-to-air missile sites. But the U.N. resolution authorizing the action goes much further, allowing "all necessary means" to protect civilians.

That means the U.S. and Europeans have a free hand in the next stages to attack Gadhafi's ground forces besieging rebel cities or other military targets.

The rebels, who control most of the eastern half of Libya, hope the allied intervention will — in the short term — tip the scales back in their favor after an onslaught by Gadhafi's forces threatened to reverse their gains early in the uprising. In the longer term, they hope to regain a momentum that will allow them to topple the Libyan leader.

Still, the top U.S. military officer said the goals of the international campaign are "limited" and won't necessarily lead to the ousting of Gadhafi.

Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" whether it was possible that the mission's goals could be achieved while leaving Gadafi in power, Adm. Mike Mullen said, "That's certainly potentially one outcome." Pressed on this point later in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Mullen was more vague, saying it was too early to speculate. He said the Libyan leader is "going to have to make some choices about his own future" at some point.

Gadhafi vowed to fight on. In a phone call to Libyan state television, he said he would not let up on Benghazi and said the government had opened up weapons depots to all Libyans, who were now armed with "automatic weapons, mortars and bombs." State television said Gadhafi's supporters were converging on airports as human shields.

"We promise you a long war," he said.

He called the international assault "simply a colonial crusader aggression that may ignite another large-scale crusader war."

Throughout the day Sunday, Libyan TV showed a stream of what it said were popular demonstrations in support of Gadhafi in Tripoli and other towns and cities. It showed cars with horns blaring, women ullulating, young men waving green flags and holding up pictures of the Libyan leader. Women and children chanted, "God, Muammar and Libya, that's it!"

"Our blood is green, not red," one unidentified woman told the broadcaster, referring to the signature color of Gadhafi's regime. "He is our father, we will be with him to the last drop of blood. Our blood is green with our love for him."

The cruise missile assault was the "leading edge" of a coalition campaign, named Operation Odyssey Dawn, said Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, director of the Pentagon's Joint Staff.

He said it would take six to 12 hours to assess the damage, and if the main targets — Libya's SA-5 surface-to-air missiles — were taken out, then it would be safe to send an unmanned Global Hawk surveillance drone to get a better picture of the area.

French fighter jets fired the first salvos overnight, carrying out several strikes in the rebel-held east, around the Benghazi area, while British fighter jets also bombarded the North African nation. The cruise missile barrage was fired from five U.S. ships in the Mediterranean — the guided-missile destroyers USS Stout and USS Barry, and three submarines, USS Providence, USS Scranton and USS Florida.

The U.S. military announced that Navy electronic warfare aircraft and Marine Corps attack jets joined the international assault early Sunday. Navy EA-18G Growlers launched from unspecified land bases to provide electronic warfare support over Libya. Marine AV-8B Harriers from the USS Kearsarge sailing in the Mediterranean conducted strikes against Gadhafi's ground forces and air defenses.

President Barack Obama said military action was not his first choice and reiterated that he would not send American ground troops.

"This is not an outcome the U.S. or any of our partners sought," Obama said from Brazil, where he is starting a five-day visit to Latin America. "We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy."

The U.S. has struck Libya before. Former President Ronald Reagan launched U.S. airstrikes on Libya in 1986 after a bombing at a Berlin disco — which the U.S. blamed on Libya — that killed three people, including two American soldiers. The airstrikes killed about 100 people in Libya, including Gadhafi's young adopted daughter at his Tripoli compound.

The overnight attack early Sunday shook coastal cities, including Tripoli, where anti-aircraft guns could be heard firing.

Libyan TV quoted the armed forces command as saying 48 people were killed and 150 wounded in the allied assault. It said most of the casualties were children but gave no more details.

Mullen told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he had seen no reports of civilian casualties as a result of the coalition's military operation.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was "deeply concerned" about civilians and called on all sides work to distinguish between civilians and fighters and allow safe access for humanitarian organizations.

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Lucas reported from Benghazi, Libya. Associated Press writers Maggie Michael in Cairo and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

Too much love for pup who survived being put to sleep?

By Kristi Eaton

The Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — A stray dog who survived an attempt to put him to sleep at an Oklahoma animal shelter has become a canine celebrity, with thousands seeking to adopt him, an appearance on a national television show and growing concerns about his safety as his fan base increases.

Wall-E was among several dogs abandoned by the Sulphur Animal Shelter less than a month ago. A local veterinarian tried to euthanize the puppy due to overcrowding, but he somehow survived.

Now, about 3,000 people have expressed interest in adopting him and $1,200 has been donated for his care. He was flown to New York City to appear on "Good Morning America." Concerns about his safety have arisen as some people have said they want to breed him to make money.

Veterinarian technician Amanda Kloski, who works at Arbuckle Veterinarian Clinic, has been surprised by some of the phone calls and e-mails the clinic has received. She said one man traveled from Arkansas to the clinic in Sulphur, about 80 miles south of Oklahoma City, offering to take Wall-E off her hands and breed him.

"It's been crazy," Kloski said Wednesday.

Since that incident, Wall-E has been going home with a designated individual each night, rather than staying at the clinic. Also, plans are to have Wall-E neutered before he is sent to a new home.

Kloski began caring for Wall-E when he was found alive in a trash bin a day after he was injected twice —once in the foreleg and once in the heart — with a lethal dose of a sedative.

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Serena treated for blood clot, hematoma

Tennis star Serena Williams underwent emergency treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering a blood clot in her lungs.

“Serena did indeed suffer from a pulmonary embolism last week, and the hematoma was another unexpected scare. Thankfully everything was caught in time. With continued doctor visits to monitor her situation, she is recuperating at home under strict medical supervision,” Williams' representative Nicole Chabot said in a statement.

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"Thank you everyone for all of your prayers, concerns, and support," Williams said in her statement. "This has been extremely hard, scary, and disappointing. I am doing better, I’m at home now and working with my doctors to keep everything under control. I know I will be ok, but am praying and hoping this will all be behind me soon. While I can’t make any promises now on my return, I hope to be back by early summer. That said, my main goal is to make sure I get there safely.”

Dr. Mark Adelman, chief of vascular surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center, said a patient with a pulmonary embolism would need to take an anticoagulant for 6-12 months but could play sports on the medication.

''A blood clot can occur in any vein or extremity, most commonly in the leg, and can travel to the lung,'' Dr. Adelman wrote in an e-mail. ''Prior surgery, air travel, prolonged sitting, birth control pills, obesity and pregnancy can predispose a patient to a blood clot in the leg that can travel to the lung.''

Adelman said if a clot-dissolving agent is used to treat an embolism, it can result in bleeding around the catheter used to deliver the drug. Williams' agents said the hematoma was removed.

Williams, 29, appeared Sunday for Elton John's AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party, but her health took a turn for the worse Monday.

Williams' mother, Oracene Price, tweeted Wednesday afternoon: ''Thank you for your concern. She is fine.''

On Tuesday night, Williams posted on her Twitter account "Tough day." A few minutes later she retweeted Kim Kardashian.

The former world No. 1 was aiming to return to the court in time for the French Open in May after an extended break from the game due to injury.

She was on the entry list for the WTA Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., which is set for March 22 to April 3. But the tournament director, Adam Barrett, said he was already not expecting her to play in the event because she had still not resumed training, according to the Miami Herald.

"Our prayers are with her, and we wish her a speedy recovery. Serena is important to the game of tennis, and important to the Sony Ericsson Open. She has had great success here and been a fan favorite. She will be missed."

Williams recently had a cast removed from her right foot and was due to begin training soon. She had surgery after cutting her foot on broken glass shortly after her win at Wimbledon last July.

Williams -- currently ranked 11th in the world -- has amassed 13 Grand Slam singles titles in her brilliant career, winning the Australian Open five times, Wimbledon four times, the U.S. Open three times and the French Open once.

Associated Press and FOXSports.com contributed to this report