Operation Odyssey Dawn: French Warplanes, U.S. Cruise Missiles Fight Back for Rebels

French fighter jets were first on the scene firing the first shots at Moammar Gadhafi’s troops on Saturday. The assault to support rebels is the broadest international military effort since the Iraq war, hopefully not to late for the Libyan uprising that had seemed on the verge of defeat. French warplanes destroyed several Libyan military vehicles and tanks.

“We have every reason to fear that left unchecked, Gadhafi would commit unspeakable atrocities.”
— Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Paris

Later Saturday about 2 PM ET, the United States fired at least 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles at more than 20 targets inside Libya. A British submarine also launched missiles. The attack targeted Libyan air defense missile sites.


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