NATO warplanes bomb Libyan naval vessels

TRIPOLI, Libya -- NATO warplanes bombed Libyan naval vessels in three ports Friday, leaving ships partially sunken and charred and showering docks with debris in the military alliance's broadest attack on Moammar Gadhafi's navy.

NATO said the overnight bombing runs were meant to protect the nearby rebel-held port of Misrata, the only major city in the western half of Libya that is under the control of the fighters trying to end Gadhafi's nearly 40-year rule. One of the attacks struck the main port of Tripoli.

In a later tour of the area, journalists saw three partially submerged boats armed with missile launchers docked alongside one another. Altogether, eight coast guard boats and one docked frigate under repair were hit at the three ports, said Commandant Omran al-Forjani, head of Libya's coast guard.

At NATO headquarters in Brussels, the alliance confirmed its warplanes targeted the boats and accused Libya of using its ships in the escalating conflict, including attempts to mine Misrata's harbor, a key lifeline to the besieged city. The other ports hit were in the city of Khoms, between Tripoli and Misrata, and in Sirte, farther east, Libyan officials said.

British Maj. Gen. John Lorimer, a NATO communications officer, said British warplanes hit two Libyan corvette warships in the Khoms harbor and a facility in the dockyard constructing fast inflatable boats.

Libya countered the NATO claims, saying it has left its ships docked since NATO warned in of March that they would be considered targets if they left port.