LIVE Libyan Unrest: July 20, 2011

We are tracking the latest developments to keep you updated on the situation on the ground. There are interactive maps located in the Protest map page to keep up with the latest movements. Also check out the featured twitters on the sidebar. On the Go? Follow us on Twitter @Feb17Libya for the Live updates and discussion. All updates are in Libyan local time (GMT+2)
6:15pm: On the barren front line in the village of Gualish, rebels take cover from Gadhafi’s forces — and the relentless sun — behind a sand berm. Rajed, a rebel fighter at the front, points to the south of Gualish and says they have just discovered a new minefield. Rajed says all of this area is now mined; it’s terrible, he says, and that is what is stopping their advance. Rebel commanders say the use of mines are a sign that Gadhafi’s forces are becoming more desperate and weak.
5:40pm: Libyan rebel forces in Misrata, supported by Nato air strikes, launched an offensive towards the government-held town of Zlitan on Wednesday morning, with fighters saying they were making gains amid heavy fighting.
“We are now one and a half kilometres(almost 1 mile) from Zlitan,” said a rebel fighter, Mohammed Ashanobah, of the Shaheed (Martyr) Brigade. “The revolutionaries attacked at eight this morning.”
5:20pm: France may consider a post-war Libya with Moammar Gadhafi remaining in the country if he quits politics as part of a cease-fire deal to end the conflict with the NATO-backed rebels, the French foreign minister said Wednesday.
“One of the possibilities is that he (Gadhafi) remains in Libya,” Alain Juppe told French news channel LCI. “But on the condition that he stays away from Libyan political life. This is what we are waiting for before we begin the political process for a cease-fire.”
3:30pm: Eighteen rebel fighters were killed and up to 150 wounded in clashes with forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi for control of the eastern oil hub of Brega on Tuesday, a doctor in a rebel-controlled town said.
“Yesterday it was a disaster,” Dr Sarahat Atta-Alah told Reuters at Ajdabiya hospital in eastern Libya on Wednesday.
Rebels have said they have encircled Brega, which they must take if they are to advance towards Tripoli, but fighters said they were still coming under fire from pro-Gaddafi forces.
Brega, which provides access to most of Libya’s eastern oil network, has changed hands several times in five months of fighting along Libya’s Mediterranean coast.
Rebels said on Tuesday they had encircled the town, which if captured would mark a major boost for their campaign to oust Gaddafi. Insurgents said they were dug in to the south and east of Brega and in control of its eastern residential sector.
The Libyan government has denied the rebels’ reports, saying its soldiers are in Brega.
Doctors at the hospital in Ajdabiya, which lies to the east of Brega, said they expected more fighting later on Wednesday.
A rebel lieutenant, who gave his name as Ihab, said rebel forces were between 5 and 10 km (3 and 6 miles) outside Brega and Gaddafi’s forces were still in the city.
He said the area was littered with mines and Gaddafi’s forces had filled trenches with gasoline, which could be set on fire if rebels approached.
1:00pm: Two members of Libya’s rebel Transitional National Council are meeting French President Nicolas Sarkozy Wednesday amid international efforts to further support the Libyan opposition.
The two representatives are visiting the French leader in Paris. France was the first country to officially recognize the rebel council as the legitimate representatives of the Libyan people. Several nations, including the United States, have since followed France’s lead.