Libyan Jet Shot Down By French Fighter

French fighter jets attacked an air base deep inside Libya on Thursday and in the process, downed one of Moammar Gadhafi's planes.  Other coalition bombers struck artillery, arms depots and parked helicopters, officials said.

The French strikes overnight attacked a base about 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of the Libyan coastline,
A French fighter jet reported attacking and destroying a Libyan plane believed to be a military trainer aircraft, a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because it has not been publicly announced by the French government.

 NATO warships began patrolling Wednesday off Libya's Mediterranean coast in an effort the blockade's commander described as "closing the main front door" to weapons and mercenaries for Gadhafi.
Vice Adm. Rinaldo Veri said the Mediterranean was the most efficient way to get weapons into Libya and that it was impossible to patrol its entire coast. He expected to have enough vessels in place in a few days for effective operations.


Coalition aircraft and ships continued to strike at Gadhafi positions, including artillery, tanks, an ammunition bunker and a small number of helicopters as they sat on an airfield along the coast, a U.S. defense official said Thursday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.
More than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from U.S. and British ships in the Mediterranean Sea late Wednesday and early Thursday, their targets including Gadhafi's air defense missile sites in Tripoli and south of the capital. Even more attacks were launched against an ammunition bunker near Misrata and forces south of Benghazi, the official said.
The U.N. Security Council authorized enforcement of an embargo and no-fly zone to protect Libyan civilians after Gadhafi launched attacks against anti-government protesters who wanted him to leave after 42 years in power. But rebel advances have foundered, and the two sides have been at stalemate in key cities such as Misrata and Ajdabiya, the gateway to the opposition's eastern stronghold.