al-assad killing his brother-in-law, the main target of the operation. there has been surprise offensive by the rebel forces into the strongholds of the regime, damascus, and aleppo which is the second largest city which has been largely loyal to the regime up until this moment. this is no longer the case. now the rebels have made inch roads into both the major cities. what s been happening is the regime has been mounting a brutal counts offensive, the same type of offensive it was mounting elsewhere in the country accept now it s much closer to home. megyn: the white house has crafted a presidential directive called a finding that would authorize greater covert assistance for the rebels, while stopping short of arming them. perhaps we would provide nonlethal supplies such as communications gear, medical equipment and so on, although it is not clear whether the president has signed that directive yet, this is according to reuters. should the united states be getting more involved? are
there is really something bad going on. bill: breaking news out of libya. new videotape of a building that apparently has been hit by warplanes launched by moammar gadhafi. five new air strikes have happened in a rebel-held town in northern libya. this is videotape into america s newsroom. this counts offensive launched by qaddafi to try to take back the town. it s a critical town, an oil port like so many of the libyan cities. we expect qaddafi to make a statement from a hotel in tripoli. what will he say when he makes that statement in we ll watch it for you from the hotel, our own steve harrigan is standing by. when steve gets it you ll hear it hear first on fox. everyone has someone to go heart healthy for. who s your someone? campbell s healthy request can help. low cholesterol, zero grams trans fat, and a healthy level of sodium. it s amazing what soup can do.
forces loyal to moammar gadhafi try to take key areas. breaking news in germany, somalia and libya. glad you are with us. i m jenna lee. jon: i m jon scott. we are getting reports of shells slashing into the mediterranean sea. warplanes bombing a beach, the first counts offensive by forces loyal to moammar gadhafi in opposition-held eastern libya. for now it appears the rebels have managed to repel the government s attack. they are lashing out at the united states and europe after calls for him to step down. he s warning thousands of libyans will die if we intervene. the recent death toll from the antimoammar gadhafi protests are unclear. a human rights group puts the toll at 6,000. earlier estimates put the