The event prompted a government spokesman to suggest the ministry was targeted because it contained files on corruption cases against senior members of the Benghazi-based rebel leadership.

NATO has stepped up strikes on Tripoli in an apparent attempt to weaken Gaddafi's chief stronghold and potentially target the leader himself. One of the buildings hit early Tuesday was used by the Interior Ministry which is responsible for internal security.

The latest strikes on Gaddafi's stronghold came just hours after the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor sought arrest warrants for the Libyan leader, his son and the country's intelligence chief for authorizing the killing of civilians in a crackdown on anti-government rebels. Gaddafi's government denied the allegations.

The call for the inquest was the first such action in the Netherlands-based court linked to the Arab uprisings. It opened another potential front against Gaddafi's regime even as the autocratic leader stands firm against widening NATO airstrikes and rebels with growing international backing.

A Libyan government spokesman appealed for a ceasefire and said authorities were likely to release four foreign reporters held in a Tripoli after they face trial in an administrative court, expected later Tuesday.

AP