Nato's chief will hold talks on Libya with British leaders yesterday after the alliance battered Muammar Gaddafi's forces even as its top brass raised concerns about the 11-week aerial war.
Libyan rebels captured two western villages on the road to Tripoli yesterday.
Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will meet in London with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague for discussions on the military operation.
The talks come as rebels fighting to end Gaddafi's four decades of autocratic rule won more diplomatic recognition and seized Al-Rayayna village, east of the heavily fought-over hilltown of Zintan southwest of Tripoli.
And following a three-day pause in Nato strikes on Tripoli, powerful explosions rocked the Libyan capital late Tuesday, with black smoke rising from a site close to downtown.
Senior military officials from Britain and France, key players in the Nato campaign, had earlier expressed concerns about how to maintain the Nato operation just extended for three months from June 27.
"How long can we go on as we are in Libya?" Britain's First Sea Lord, Admiral Mark Stanhope, asked.
"Certainly in terms of Nato's current time limit that has been extended to 90 days, we are comfortable with that. Beyond that, we might have to request the government to make some challenging decisions about priorities."
Nato said it "has the resources" to conduct its campaign despite a warning from Washington that reliance on US military could jeopardise the mission.
"We continue to maintain a high tempo of operation," said Nato spokeswoman Oana Lungescu. "It is clear that Nato has the resources to keep up the pressure on the Gaddafi regime. We know it takes time."
In Al-Rayayna, home to some 10,000 residents, Gaddafi forces responded to the rebel advance by firing Grad rockets at the village, which is on a strategic route connecting Zintan and Yefren, two towns rebels hope to seize.
In Tripoli, blasts were heard around 11:30pm on Tuesday, with state news agency Jana saying Nato targeted civilian sites and that the attacks set homes on fire.
Tripoli and its suburbs have been the target of almost daily Nato air raids since it started its military operation on March 31, a month after Gayddafi's forces began a bloody crackdown on pro-reform protests.
In Washington, politicians grew impatient with the pace of operations.
The rebels gained diplomatically when Canada and Panama recognised them as the legitimate representative of Libya's people, while Tunisia declared itself ready to follow suit.
South African President Jacob Zuma said Nato's air campaign abused a UN resolution to protect Libyan civilians for regime change and "political assassinations".
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