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New Libyan rebel recruits train near Benghazi. France today admitted arming rebels in partsof the country, in apparent defiance of the UN mandate Nato is reviewing the conduct of its military campaign in Libya after France admitted arming rebel fighters in apparent defiance of the UN mandate. The revelation surprised officials in Nato's headquarters in Brussels and raised awkward questions about whether the French had broken international law – UN resolution 1973 specifically allows Nato nations to protect civilians in Libya, but appears to stop short of permitting the provision of weapons. Nato has consistently said it would not arm...

From Corsica, French Jets Roar Into Action Over Libya by Eleanor Beardsley March 30, 2011 The French air force was the first to go into action over Libya. And since then, French aircraft have flown more missions enforcing the United Nations resolution than any other country except the United States. Most of those missions have been launched from an air base on the French island of Corsica. From a runway wedged between snowcapped mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, Rafale and Mirage jets roar into the sky, one after the other, their metallic skins flashing in the morning sun. It takes...