Rebels hit key Tripoli gateway

TRIPOLI, Libya - Libyan rebels backed by NATO air power on Wednesday launched a promised assault on a key gateway to Tripoli, attacking positions just 50 kilometers from the capital.

Buoyed by French arms drops and NATO-led airstrikes, the rebels attacked positions in the Gualish area, in the plains north of their enclave in the Nafusa mountains southwest of Tripoli.

A rebel leader from the hilltown of Zintan said his forces had coordinated their assault with NATO, which has stepped up its bombing campaign by destroying frontline armor of Muammar Gadhafi's government in the past week.