"British warplanes have attacked, have carried out an air strike against the Sarir oilfield which killed three oilfield guards and other employees at the field were also injured," Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim told reporters.

There was no immediate comment from Britain's Ministry of Defense or from NATO, which is coordinating air strikes to protect civilians in Libya from Muammar Gaddafi's forces.

Kaim said the strike damaged a pipeline connecting the oilfields to the Marsa el Hariga port. "There is no doubt this aggression ... is against international law and is not covered by the U.N. resolution," he said.

Any damage to a pipeline leading to Marsa el Hariga is likely to cause more harm to the rebels than to Gaddafi.

Reuters