Libyan gunships launched airstrikes on rebel forces as they advanced toward the capital Tripoli on Sunday, highlighting a violent day of clashes between rebels and forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi. The country appears to be moving towards a full-out civil war, one that could last weeks or months.

Forces moving on the capital were fired on by helicopter gunships and attacked by ground forces, as Gadhafi struggled to maintain control of the region.

Battles waged on several fronts as the two sides struggled for control of the country. Gadhafi loyalists retook the town of Bin Jawad, a key battleground about 160 kilometres east of the stronghold city of Sirte.

Witnesses say pro-Gadhafi forces also shelled the rebel-held city of Misrata on Sunday, as part of a counter-offensive to retake cities that have fallen into the opposition's hands.

However, rebel forces said they led the pro-Gadhafi troops into a trap.

A rebel fighter told The Associated Press that commanders intentionally lured government tanks into Misrata's core before surrounding them and attacking with mortar shells. According to the fighter, four rebels and five loyalists were killed in the battle.

"Our spirits are high," Abdel Fatah al-Misrati, a rebel fighter, said. "The regime is struggling and what is happening is a desperate attempt to survive and crush the opposition. But the rebels are in control of the city."

The uprising began in mid-February shortly after protests forced the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. No end is in sight in Libya, as rebels and those who still support Gadhafi wage a series of deadly battles across the country.

The Libyan uprising has quickly become the bloodiest of the recent civil disputes in the Middle East as the two sides struggle for control of cities and oil depots across the region.

Opposition fighters pushed out of the rebel-held eastern half of Libya late last week, cutting west toward Tripoli and securing control of Brega and Ras Lanouf, two important oil ports.

Meanwhile, loyalists supported by the military launched their own offensive, striking Brega and attacking the rebel-held city of Zawiya, west of Tripoli.

The two million residents of Tripoli woke up to gunfire on Sunday, apparently fired in celebration after Libyan authorities announced they had taken Ras Lanouf back from rebel forces.

By early morning thousands of Gadhafi supporters poured into Tripoli's central square to celebrate the victory.

Reporting from Ras Lanouf, CTV News South Asia Bureau Chief Janis Mackey Frayer said the oil port remained in the hands of rebels overnight, despite information being circulated by Gadhafi supporters.

Rebel forces had fought back government troops in Ras Lanouf on Saturday. The victory is part of a westward push toward Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, where a serious clash could occur as Gadhafi holds sway with tribal leaders.

The push towards Sirte is thought to be the reason for Gadhafi's newfound heavy use of air attacks.

The U.K. confirmed on Sunday that a small diplomatic team was in eastern Libya, but would not comment on reports that special forces soldiers had been captured by rebel troops.

On Sunday, the U.S. moved military forces closer to Libya's shore but has not engaged against either side of the struggle. U.S. Senator John Kerry, chair of the Senate's foreign relations committee, began pressuring Western nations to establish plans for a no-fly zone above the ravaged region.

Kerry told CBS that moving against Libya's air force should be considered as a response to attacks on civilians.

With files from The Associated Press