As dawn broke over the capital Tripoli, sustained machinegun fire and the sound of heavy weaponry was reported across the city for the first time since the start of the two-week-old uprising by anti-Gaddafi rebels.

A government statement said Gaddafi supporters were firing into the air in celebration of significant victories in other parts of the country by government forces - denying that fighting was under way.

The BBC's Wyre Davies, in Tripoli, says it is impossible to verify who was shooting. There are pockets of rebels in the capital and this was perhaps the first sign they are prepared to take on Muammar Gaddafi in his own backyard.

Libyan state TV said government troops had retaken the key oil port of Ras Lanuf - where this airstrike was captured - but a BBC correspondent there said the town was firmly under rebel control.

Pro-Gaddafi forces mounted strong counter-offensives as they tried to retake opposition-controlled areas, with troops backed by helicopter gunships attacking Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad (pictured).

The rebels took Ras Lanuf on Saturday, and reports say that they are trying to push further west, with recent heavy clashes in the small town of Bin Jawad.

Rebels said their forces withdrew from Bin Jawad - about 50km north-west of Ras Lanuf - after coming under attack when they advanced.

As the conflict continues, foreign workers in Libya are continuing to stream across the border into neighbouring Tunisia. These Egyptian men are waiting to board a German navy warship for the three-day journey back home.