Is Gaddafi looking for a way out?
A picture taken in Gaza City on May 11, 2011, shows Libyan state TV showing footage of Muammar Gaddafi in a meeting.
Besieged Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is reported to be seeking refuge in a third country, with rebel fighters pushing closer to Tripoli in a bid to end the country's 6-month civil war.
Agence France-Presse reports that Gaddafi has asked the governments of Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco to take members of his family "in the case that Tripoli falls into the hands of the revolutionaries."
Gaddafi's desire to find a new safe haven comes via a member of the rebel transitional council, Abdel Monem al-Houni, who is based in Cairo.
Earlier today, a Tunisian radio journalist reported that a Venezuelan plane landed on the tiny island of Djerba – a short drive from the Libyan border and Tripoli – to possibly evacuate Gaddafi's family members, according to this story from China's state-run Xinhua.
Libyan rebels have increased the pressure on Gaddafi in recent days.
The strategic coastal city of Zawiya, roughly 30 miles west of Libya's capital city, has been mostly captured by rebels, according to CBS News. The New York Times published a great series of photos from Zawiya, some of which show abandoned loyalist tanks and rebel flags flying in parts of the city.
Zawiya is home to several oil refineries that feed Tripoli, and an important supply route for the Libyan army.
The rebels are hoping to force an end to the conflict by capturing and controlling chokepoints such as Zawiya, leaving citizens in Tripoli with little choice other than to rise up against Gaddafi.
Meanwhile, Libyan prime minister Ali al-Mahmoudi disputed that Zawiya had fallen.
In an interview with Fox News, al-Mahmoudi also said that Libya's army had all the resources necessary to win the war.
"I want to assure you the Libyan government is still strong and resilient and is in control of the country and all its territory,” al-Mahoudi told Fox. "In terms of our military strength we are powerful enough to finish this fight, but the cost in lives would be too high… We are a tribal people and the risk of this violence spreading is too great."