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Karin Laub

(Sergey Ponomarev/The Associated Press) Rebel fighters celebrate as they stand on top of the monument inside the main Moammar Gadhafi compound in Bab Al-Aziziya in Tripoli, LIbya. The rebels say they have now taken control of nearly all of Tripoli, but sporadic gunfire could still be heard Wednesday, and Gadhafi loyalists fired shells and assault rifles at fighters who had captured the Libyan leader's personal compound one day earlier.

From hiding, Gadhafi tells Libyans to free Tripoli

Ben Hubbard, Karin Laub The Associated Press

Last updated Wednesday, August 24, 2011 - 10:23am

TRIPOLI, Libya — A defiant Moammar Gadhafi vowed Wednesday to fight on "until victory or martyrdom," as rebel fighters tried to end scattered attacks by regime loyalists in the nervous capital.

Gadhafi, Libya, Libya unrest, International Read more Comments

Rebel fighters gesture as they stamp on a part of a statue of Moammar Gadhafi inside the main compound in Bab Al-Aziziya in Tripoli, Libya, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. Libyan rebels stormed Moammar Gadhafi's main military compound in Tripoli Tuesday after fierce fighting with forces loyal to his regime that rocked the capital as the longtime leader refused to surrender despite the stunning advances by opposition forces. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

Libyan rebels storm Gahdafi's Tripoli compound

Ben Hubbard, Karin Laub The Associated Press

Last updated Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - 2:19pm

TRIPOLI, Libya — Hundreds of Libyan rebels blasted through the green gates of Moammar Gadhafi’s sprawling compound in Tripoli Tuesday, charging wildly through the symbolic heart of the crumbing regime as they looted armories and scoured the grounds in vain for the missing dictator.

The storming of Bab al-Aziziya, long the nexus of Gadhafi’s power, marked a major success for the rebels. But with Gadhafi and his powerful sons still unaccounted for — and gunbattles flaring across the nervous city — the fighters know they cannot declare victory.

Gadhafi, Libya unrest, Middle East, Rebels, International Read more Comments

Libya rebels in Tripoli, Gadhafi defenses collapse

Ben Hubbard, Karin Laub The Associated Press

Last updated Monday, August 22, 2011 - 9:00am

TRIPOLI, Libya -- Libyan rebels claimed to be in control of most of the Libyan capital on Monday after their lightning advance on Tripoli heralded the fall of Moammar Gadhafi's nearly 42-year regime. Scattered battles erupted, and the mercurial leader's whereabouts remained unknown.

The international community called on Gadhafi to step down and moved ahead with post-war planning as euphoric residents celebrated in the Green Square, the symbolic heart of the Gadhafi regime. Colleagues warned he wouldn't go easily. Two of his sons were captured late Sunday.

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In this Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011 photo, a worker modifies a civilian pick-up truck into a military vehicle, adding weapons and reinforcements, in Zintan, western Libya. Zintan has become the nerve center of what is emerging as the rebels' most promising front in their campaign to oust Gadhafi: an attempt to flank the grinding deadlock in the center of the country with an assault from the far west.(AP Photo/Giulio Petrocco)

Gadhafi forces try to block Libyan rebel advance

Karin Laub The Associated Press

Last updated Monday, August 15, 2011 - 10:39am

ZAWIYA, Libya -- Moammar Gadhafi's forces pushed rebels back from the center of the strategic city of Zawiya on Monday in fierce fighting to try to prevent the opposition from consolidating a major advance to within 30 miles of the capital Tripoli.

In neighboring Egypt, Libyan Interior Minister Nassr al-Mabrouk Abdullah flew into the capital Cairo on his private plane with nine family members, Egyptian airport officials said. He came from Tunisia and entered on a tourist visa in what could be a high-level defection. No Libyan embassy officials greeted him at the airport.

Arab Protests, Libya unrest, Middle East, International Read more Comments

Israel draws international rebuke over settlements

Karin Laub, The Associated Press

Last updated Thursday, December 9, 2010 - 10:45am

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- The European Union, the United Nations and the Arab League have rebuked Israel after its refusal to halt settlement construction forced Washington to drop efforts to relaunch Mideast peace talks.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday stuck to his position that he won't negotiate without a freeze of Jewish settlement building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem -- lands captured by Israel and sought by the Palestinians for their state. He spoke after meeting in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.

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Hatem Moussa/The Associated Press
Gaza's Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh speaks at his office in Gaza City , Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010. Haniyeh on Wednesday denied Israeli allegations that al-Qaida operates in the territory and that Gaza militants planned to carry out attacks in neighboring Egypt.

Hamas ready for referendum on peace deal

Karin Laub, The Associated Press

Last updated Wednesday, December 1, 2010 - 2:14pm

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Hamas would respect any peace deal reached between Israel and Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, provided it is approved in a global Palestinian referendum, the top Hamas official in Gaza said Wednesday.

In a rare news conference for foreign media, Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister of Gaza's Hamas government, staked out seemingly pragmatic positions. He said Hamas seeks dialogue with the West and wants to be "part of the solution, not the problem."

He also denied Israeli allegations that al-Qaida operates in Gaza and that Gaza militants planned to carry out attacks in neighboring Egypt.

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