Tunisia Warns Libya Over Rocket Attacks

Tunisia has said it will report Libya to the UN Security Council if it fires on border areas again amid claims rockets were fired by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces.

Pressure has been piling on the Libyan leader after an apparent defection by his oil minister and further Nato air strikes on Tripoli.

Now, a Tunisian foreign ministry source has warned the government would take diplomatic action over "continuing firing of rockets" towards Tunisian territory.

Earlier on Tuesday at least four Russian-made Grad rockets fired from Libya landed inside Tunisia, according to reports.

The attacks forced Libyan rebels to pull back briefly from the Dehiba-Wazin border crossing, but they kept control despite several rebel deaths and injuries.

A Tunisian government official has said oil minister Shukri Ghanem, a veteran of Col Gaddafi's regime, had left Libya at the weekend and was in neighbouring Tunisia.

Ghanem has been a key member of Gaddafi's regime

Ghanem, also chairman of Libya's national oil company, reportedly crossed the border by car on Saturday and checked into a hotel on the southern tourist island of Djerba.

A Libyan government spokesman denied the defection, but if confirmed Ghanem would be among the most senior officials to abandon the regime since the anti-government uprising began in February.

On Monday night, air strikes by Nato set fire to buildings near Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli.

Britain, one of the main powers enforcing the no-fly zone, confirmed attacks overnight in Tripoli by Tomahawk missiles and Royal Air Force Tornado aircraft, which it said struck intelligence agency buildings and a military training base.

Nato has denied claims on Libyan state TV that one of its warships was damaged by Libyan forces off the coast of the rebel-held city of Misratah.