* Cameron: Tornado and Typhoon fighters on way to Libya
* Gaddafi is 'already bombing rebel stronghold of Benghazi'
* Military action against Gaddafi backed by ten votes to zero
* Libyan dictator threatens planes and ships in Mediterranean
* Country's air space now closed to all traffic ahead of attack
* Commons WILL have debate on intervention on Monday
Libya today continued to blast rebel fighters with a brutal bombardment from land and sea despite the regime claiming it had called a cease fire.
In a day of rapid developments after the UN agreed to launch air strikes, foreign minister Moussa Koussa said all fighting had stopped.
However, rebels claimed there was still shelling in the towns of Ajdabiya and Misrata, the last rebel-held city in the western half of the country. Bombing left as many as 25 people in Misrata dead
Tough talk: David Cameron (right) and Foreign Secretary William Hague leave Downing Street today after an emergency Cabinet meeting on the Libyan crisis.Warning: Gaddafi took the the airwaves last night to say 'We will make their lives hell because they are making our lives hell. They will never have peace'
Even as Koussa spoke, David Cameron was on his feet in the Commons to confirm that RAF fighter jets had received orders to go to the Middle East.
The Prime Minister confirmed preparations to deploy RAF Tornado and Typhoon fighters were well underway.
The aircraft will join an international task force in the region in the next hours with air strikes expected imminently.
The move follows last night's UN resolution authorising 'all measures necessary' short of sending in ground troops to protect the Libyan population.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Cameron called upon Gaddafi to immediately stop attacking his own people and stressed that there had been 'appalling' human rights abuses.
'The clock is now ticking,' he said. 'We need now a sense of urgency because we do not want to see a blood bath in Benghazi and further repression and killing of innocent civilian life in Libya.'
The Prime Minister told Parliament that there would be a Commons debate on intervention in the Middle East on Monday.
He is due to make a statement later and is travelling to France for a crisis summit tomorrow.
British armed forces would not be deployed lightly or 'without careful thought,' Mr Cameron said.
'We have, I believe, in this case given extremely careful thought to the situation that we have in hand.
'I think it is absolutely right that we played a leading role on the UN Security Council to secure permission for this action and I believe it is absolutely right that we now work with allies to make sure that resolution is brought about.
'I know there will be many people in our country who will now want the questions answered about what we are doing and how we will go about it and I intend to answer all those questions in the hours and days ahead and to work with our brave armed services to make sure that we do the right thing for the people of Libya, for the people of our country and for the world as a whole.'
As well as deploying fast jet fighters, Britain would be deploying surveillance and air-to-air refuelling aircraft.
The Prime Minister said that a 'clear statement' would be issued later today setting out what the international community now expected Gaddafi to do.
He said action was urgently needed as Libyan warplanes had already begun bombing the rebel stronghold of Benghazi in preparation for what was expected to be an all-out assault on the city.
Earlier, Mr Cameron chaired an emergency session of the Cabinet where ministers were advised on the legal position by the Attorney General Dominic Grieve.
The PM spoke to Barack Obama last night and French President Nicolas Sarkozy this morning to discuss the situation.
The UN Security Council’s vote in favour of a no-fly zone and air strikes against Colonel Gaddafi’s forces came last night after weeks of indecision on the world stage.
By ten votes to zero, it backed ‘all necessary measures’ short of a full-scale ground invasion ‘to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas’.
Anticipating the move, Gaddafi had threatened to attack any air or maritime traffic in the Mediterranean, including civilian targets.
He took to the airwaves to condemn any UN action as an act of ‘flagrant colonisation’. ‘This is craziness, madness, arrogance,’ ranted the dictator.
‘If the world gets crazy with us we will get crazy too. We will respond. We will make their lives hell because they are making our lives hell. They will never have peace.’
Gaddafi had earlier told Libyan rebels that his mercenaries would invade Benghazi, saying: ‘There will be no mercy. Our troops will be coming to Benghazi tonight.’
Diplomatic sources in Paris said military action might come as soon as today and could include France, Britain, possibly the U.S. and one or more Arab states.
But senior defence sources in Britain warned action would not take place straight away and the U.S. said enforcement of the no-fly zone would begin on Sunday or Monday.
‘We have to deconflict the assets of those who will take part and who will do what,’ said one. ‘It won’t be immediate.’
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there would be action to protect the planes and the pilots, ‘including bombing targets like the Libyan defence systems’.
Italy announced it was opening its air force and naval bases in Sicily for operations against Libya – another potential base for British jets.
The UN Security Council’s resolution was passed 10-0 with abstentions from China, Russia, Brazil, India and Germany.
The resolution included freezing the assets of Libyan National Oil Corp and the central bank because of their links to Gaddafi. It was proposed by the UK, France and Lebanon.
Celebratory gunfire was heard in Benghazi following the vote. There was also joy in Tobruk, another rebel-held town.
The move is a diplomatic coup for David Cameron, one of the first leaders to advocate intervention despite President Obama’s reluctance to allow the U.S. to be drawn into another Middle East war.
Foreign Secretary William Hague said: ‘We have been clear that the world would not accept Gaddafi’s brutality against his own people.
‘This resolution is the expression of that resolve. It is a positive response to the call by the Arab League last weekend for measures to protect and safeguard the civilian population of Libya and it is the culmination of a great deal of hard work in the last few days.
‘This resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire. For an end to violence. We have said all along that Gaddafi must go. It is necessary to take these measures to avoid greater bloodshed.’
Sir Mark Lyall Grant, British ambassador to the UN, said the resolution ruled out a foreign occupation force in any part of Libya.
Malcolm Rifkind, a former foreign secretary, said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted. Without action of this kind, Benghazi would have been a bloodbath.
‘By the standards of the last 20 years, this is a remarkable vote. This is a tremendous morale booster for Libyans, not just in Benghazi.’
Anger: Supporters of Gaddafi chants slogans and show their displeasure at the decision during a protest in Tripoli
Gaddafi supporters: Libyan deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaim said at a news conference that the vote amounted to an agreement for Libyans to kill each other
Warning: Gaddafi took the the airwaves last night to say 'We will make their lives hell because they are making our lives hell. They will never have peace'
Frontline: Libyan rebels pose on a tank captured from Government forces near Sultan, south of Benghazi
Determined: A Libyan rebel grimaces as he prepares for combat in Benghazi
Solidarity: UK Representatives Mark Lyall and Susan Rice for the U.S. sit together as they raise their hands in support of a no-fly zone over Libya during the meeting of the UN security council last night
In session: Member states including both the UK and U.S. vote to approve the resolution during the meeting of the Security Council last night
Joy: Several rebels take to their cars to celebrate following the announcement of the resolution
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