10 March 2011 Last updated at 15:23 GMT
Rebels have been struggling to hold their ground amid fierce artillery attacks
Rebels forced from Libyan oil port
Rebels have been struggling to hold their ground amid fierce artillery attacksLibyan rebels are fleeing the oil port of Ras Lanuf after sustained attacks by forces loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi.
Rebels were travelling eastwards in vehicles after coming under fire from rockets and shells, reports said.
Libyan state TV said pro-Gaddafi troops had also cleared rebels from the oil port of Sidra, west of Ras Lanuf.
In recent days, Col Gaddafi's forces have been trying to regain ground in the rebel-held east, as well as the town of Zawiya, west of Tripoli.
'Running away'Meanwhile, France has become the first country to recognise the Libyan rebel leadership, the National Libyan Council (NLC), as the country's legitimate government.
It came as Nato met to discuss international military options in the Libyan conflict, including the possibility of imposing a no-fly zone.
There has been fierce fighting in Libya since mid-February, when opponents to Col Gaddafi's 41-year rule took many towns and cities in eastern Libya, in the wake of successful popular uprisings in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt.
One report on Thursday said that as they advanced on Ras Lanuf, tanks driven by pro-Gaddafi forces had moved to their easternmost position since the conflict began.
One rebel fighter told AFP news agency: "We've been defeated. They are shelling and we are running away. That means that they're taking Ras Lanuf."
Among those fleeing were staff at the town's central hospital, who had to hurriedly evacuate patients, AFP reported. Just one doctor remained, along with the body of a man killed in the fighting and pools of blood on the floor.
Zawiya is now reported to be either largely or wholly under the control of government forces, though journalists have been prevented from travelling to the town and it is hard to get an accurate picture of the result of several days of intense fighting there.
BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says fears that the military balance may be shifting in Col Gaddafi's favour have prompted calls for urgent international action.
(BBC)
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