In the latest of a series of speeches apparently designed to show he enjoys support in the areas he controls, Gaddafi described the rebels as worthless traitors and rejected suggestions that he was about to leave the country.

"They said Gaddafi will go to Honolulu," he said in a televised speech. "This is funny: To leave the graves of my forefathers and my people? Are you serious?"

His defiance came a day after Western and Arab powers, led by the United States, said the rebel leadership was the legitimate government of Libya. Reports have circulated that Gaddafi is seeking a negotiated way out of the crisis.

Libyan television also reported what it called an "enemy attack" on Tajoura district east of Tripoli early on July 17, the first such bombing raid by NATO near the capital in several nights, a witness said.

The television said the strike had hit "civilian and military sites" but did not specify what they were or mention if there had been any casualties.