The Libyan intelligence agency is responsible for disrupting Al Jazeera satellite transmissions across the Arab World, according to the broadcast news network, which also claims its website has been blocked by authorities in the troubled North African nation.

“The source of [the] signal blockage has been pinpointed to a Libyan intelligence agency building…south of the capital Tripoli,” Al Jazeera said in a statement. The building, it claims, is “located in front of Salah al-Din hospital in an area of the same name, in Al Khadra al Hadhba district.”

The rolling news network – which broadcasts in both Arabic and English from its headquarters in Qatar - has been subject to jammed signals throughout this month of political unrest in the Arab world. It has, however, faced a substantial increase in jamming since Friday (18 February) affecting its broadcasts across the Middle East and North Africa.

“Accurate studies carried out by specialised companies,” have now ascertained Libya is to blame for the assault on Al Jazeera’s transmission signals, according to the broadcaster.

There has been no official response from Libya to the accusations, however they are backed up by the Lebanese Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas. He told Reuters the jamming “originated from Libyan territory” and it was also affecting Lebanese channels.

The Libyans “see what these television [stations] carry about what is happening in their country and they jam the transmission points,” said Nahhas. “So Al Jazeera is affected and we are affected to.”

Al Jazeera has been providing extensive coverage of the current demonstrations against Libyan leader Mummar Gaddafi and the fierce response to them by government forces. The Human Rights Watch says at least 233 people have been killed in five days of violence in Libya, while opposition groups suggest this figure is yet higher.

Al Jazeera is continuing to cover the unrest in Libya and elsewhere in the region, having announced new frequencies on the Nilesat, Arabsat, and Hot Bird satellites to counter the signal disruption.

Meanwhile, in Kuwait, a group of writers and journalists have urged authorities to reopen the Al Jazeera offices in their country, which were closed down by officials in December. The move came after the satellite broadcaster covered a brutal police crackdown at a rally organised by Kuwait’s opposition party, which resulted in injuries to four MPs and a dozen citizens.