Libya's fallen leader Muammar Gaddafi says he's ready for a "long battle" against NATO-backed rebels even if his country is destroyed.

"If they want a long battle, let it be long," Gaddafi said in an audio tape broadcast on Arab satellite television.

A Libyan rebel stands next to a wall decorated with revolutionary graffiti in Tripoli. Credit:AFP

"If Libya burns, who will be able to govern it? Let it burn," said Gaddafi, who has been on the run since rebels entered Tripoli on August 20.

Gaddafi warned that tribes loyal to him are armed and won't surrender to the rebels.