from cnn world headquarters we continue our coverage of breaking news. >> we welcome our viewers watching from the united states and around the world. the battle has gone on for half a year. now rebels have closed in on libya's capital, apparently ending gadhafi's 42 years in power. >> and forces say they are now in control of most parts in tripoli.

>> rebel forces now say three of colonel gadhafi's sons have been arrested. >> no one could guess that this city would have fallen so quickly. from the west of tripoli, rebels entering from the town and being greeted by celebration. celebrating the fact that the rebels have come in. also according to the governments earlier in the day, the rebels controlling some eastern suburbs as well.

the big question has been what's happened to the resistance that was meant to be taking place that was promised by government officials, by gadhafi himself. there were tens of thousands of well trained soldiers committed to defending this city. in some areas, the world clashes with government forces. the rebels simply walked into celebrations of the local population. tripoli was finally out of the hands of fellow gadhafi and in the hands of opposition fighters. >> she has been talking to

dozens of rebels in green square which the rebels have now doubled martyr square. >> we are very happy. >> we are in green square. what you are seeing behind me, the rebels said there is going to be a massive battle here. >> what is this making -- how do you feel? you are from tripoli. why is this day important?

>> what's happening is everyone is -- we are here in the middle of tripoli. what we are seeing is rebels all over this square. there are really no civilians. some of this is just gunfire in the air but people are very, very concerned. they are not sure exactly where some of this gunfire was coming from. right now the rebels have green square and it is an historic moment here in tripoli in the capital. the real stronghold of gadhafi has now been taken over by the rebels. >> as you have been reporting, gadhafi's where abouts are

unknown. now from the al je zero rah network, a third has been arrested as well. a remarkable answer view. later the network spoke with a member of the national council said a third gadhafi son is now in rebel hands as well. >> now we want to hear from someone who lives in tripoli and watch these events unfold. is on the phone now. we have decided not to identify him for his own safety and protection. sir, thank you for speaking with us. i wonder if you would share with us your observation as you watched these historic events unfold. >> hello? >> yes, we are on air now on cnn. i wonder if you could share with us what you saw what you

witnessed. it is the connecting bridge. central tripoli right now. you just a couple of the militia walking around the area. they have gone into hide hiding at the moment. trying to make sure that everything is safe. and all the civilians are okay. we want to try to avoid any casualties. we can hear you walking. we can pick that up. can you tell us what you feel and what your friends and family and neighbors think should happen? >> he needs to know that he will get caught.

to -- appropriately judged by libyan. by the icc. the years. so many lives here. the whole country history really. 42 years have gone by and we have missed out on so much. so people's moral is really high. we are just waiting for it to all be over and waiting for special forces to actually come in and take over. we are very tired but still feeling very high. >> indeed we have heard that a third son of gadhafi has now been captured.

>> we have waited 42 years. starting from scratch. we're a very, very patient bunch. >> indeed. >> all right. talking there. >> you certainly got the sense of how people are feeling here. >> they are short of food, fuel. the telephones still work and they have been getting their

stories out to the world. >> it might be a different story if not for nato's support. a spokesperson said the intervention saved countless lives. >> responsible for stopping the bloodshed in libya are the gadhafi regime as the united nation security council resolution made very clear. the mandate for nato is to continue protecting civilians and civilian populated areas against attacks and what we have seen persistently, smatically and brutally are attacks by the gadhafi regime ever since february. and nato has consistently set to that mandate. the regime is cremabling and the

soonerer he realizes there is no way to win this war against his people that he has start ed tha they wamt and they deserve and they can start that sooner rather than later. are theeds are people sitting in offices, deciding the future of foreign nations. we have more than 65,000 fighting professional men in tripoli anything to thousands of people fighting with us.

>> and u.s. president barack obama takes a break from his va kwags to say that tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant. prepare to engage. captain, unidentified object -- detergent chamber. that's a cascade complete pac. the best of cascade powder and gel combined in one vessel. brilliant. we're gonna need it! lasagna pan -- lower rack! fire! [ female announcer ] conquer tough foods and greasy messes. [ woman ] wow! [ crew ] yeah! [ female announcer ] cascade complete pacs. love it or your money back. a network of possibilities. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans,

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that was the scene sunday in benghazi as thousands of people gathered to celebrate rebel advances. >> anything that will come after this will be better than what we have lived in the past four decades. anything that will come is a lot better than what we went through. it will be difficult. and i am not saying that it will be amazing and it will not be america tomorrow. we grew to love each over and we

feel like we are one country. before it was just me and my people. now we love each other. people and it goes on. finally can we can go out and say what we want. right now we can faint without being shot. before you couldn't think to yourself. >> he is vacationing on martha's vineyard. he had been briefed and on sunday evening, mr. obama issued a statement saying the gadhafi regime has reached a tipping poibt. the universal pursuit is stronger than the iron fist of a dictator. the surest way for the bloodshed to end is simple.

>>ed that had a representative on the ground for weeks talking with them, getting them to commit to certain things. and the most important -- one of the most important was to be democratic in what they did to be inclusive as they put a geographically and politically. >> britain played a key role. it is clear that the end is near. foes on to say that he has committed appalling crimes and he must go now to avoid further

suffering for his people. french and british air force planes began regular bomb attacks on the country. and hoe urged gadhafi to order soldiers to lay down their weapons and return to their barracks. >> he has been in power more than 40 years. how did it all come to this sth our profile is just ahead. >> what happens to all the guns and ammunition after the battle? some fear they could fall into the wrong hands. that lint balls are extremely flammable... ...that's why it's important to regularly clean and inspect your vents.

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even as rebels continue to tighten the noose, gadhafi delivered yet another speech to his supporters. take a listen. >> do you remember the million marches? i am with you alongside with you in this fight.

we will never give up. >> gadhafi has confounded the international community for decades for you. >> that might just seem bizarre and abusing but he can be quite calculating and deadly. >> as a 27-year-old army office, he overthrew libya's king in 1969 and set about wiping all foreign influence from the country. gadhafi always said that his goal was to change the world. but it was the way he set out to do it that amused, confused and often infuriated. gadhafi said he wanted to ig night the world.

that merger plan fell apart. a later merger dissent grated into animosity. maintaining a colorful profile wherever he went, he made a point of emphasizing his roots, sleeping in tents protected by an eye-catching female security detail. his 2009 speech at the u.n. was typical. >> we are not committed to obey the resolutions of the security council because it is undemocratic. >> what was supposed to be a 15 minute talk rambled on more than 90 minutes. but while he sometimes appeared a clown on the world stage, his actions were often deadly.

he viciously targeted americans. in 1986, libyan agents were accused of bombing a berlin nightclub, killing two americans and a turk. u.s. president ronald reagan responded by bombing tripoli, targeting gadhafi's house. the raid killed more than 100 people including gadhafi's own daughter. two years later, pan am flight 103 blew up over a tiny village, raining debris and taking 270 lives. after 11 years as an international outcast, gadhafi

cut a deal. he gave up the suspects for trial and after the u.s. invaded iraq, he surprised the world by agreeing to destroy chemical, nuclear and biological weapons. he didn't kbif up the bizarre behavior. on a 2009 visit to italy he invited 200 models to his ambassador's house, paying $75 to listen to lectures on islam and giving each a copy of the koran. back home, patience was running thin. after more than 40 years, rebelian bubbled up, quickly spreading across libya. he addressed the nation from the

same house bombed in 1986. >> this is my country, the country of my grandfathers. >> he vowed to die a martyr in libya. >> as time runs out, one ponlt is exile in a neighboring country. the international criminal court wants him to answer for crimes. more than one he plans to die in libya. >> i once had a chance to meet and interview gadhafi. oi had a chance to talk to our own nick robinson who has spent

time in libya himself. sort of a ring of steel around it. the bri the brigade that was controlling the capitol. will have driven today as she has overnight introtripoli. she came past one of the most feared bases when they first crushed the rebels there. the ring of steel that we had seen evaporated and really gives

rise to the perception here of a, how the rebels are able to get into the city so quickly and how gadhafi himself may be caught out in surprise at how quickly people have deserted him they will realize that the big military machine has melted away. we don't know the details and we don't know the parameters of the areas that gadhafi's forces still control. >> libya is an oil rich country with 140 different tribes and clans and prominent families.

there are a lot of people who have something to fight over if they want to filgt each over now. >> the military transition may be may appear to be secure. you have a traditional east west spl split. you have a lot of the rebels coming from the east of the country. you have tribes that have been loyal to gadhafi. the right hand man of gadhafi. that tribe has always held a

powerful position in government. what will they settle for now? there are more moderate liberal elements. there are other elements within the transitional national council as we know it today. and this is what may slow the sort of arrival, if you will, or the announcement of any sort of transitional government. this may be the simplest one. >> and of course what happens to gadhafi's inner circle is not

the only big question here. >> french and african sources have expressed fear that some of the weapons have fallen into control of al qaeda. to kidnap westerners. >> of course they have proven they can beat the forces. >> can the rebels run? e interna. but for some of us with overactive bladder, our pipes just don't work as well as they should. sometimes, i worry my pipes might leak. but i learned there's something more i can do. now, i take care with vesicare.

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the city. earlier we heard from a residence forcing her opinion. het's listen now to another resident as he describes how the events of the last several hours have unfolded. >> we have strict orders from the counsel not to leave our positions. we have stopped civilians from actually coming on to particular particularly the main roads. it is quite an open area and you cansly get casualties. we have the main brigade responsible for flushing out the

men. we have been told to stay put. the ones that are mainly in charge, we will take care of them. i don't think anyone envisioned that any of the krord flags. but yeah, we are as surprised as anyo anyone. >> the council is well organized

but it will have to transition quickly into a leadership role. >> i didn't expect that to happen so soon. now that it did happen, i wish thm the best. taking up too many lives and it's about time that this tragedy ends. >> this is an important question going forward. the capturing of the capital. your country of origin. will this transitional authority be able to leave libya as one

country? >> this is very optimistic. i have to be optimistic and say yes. being pss mess tick. libya has a lot of tribes. it was not a conductor of describes. the definition of the regime. a leading part of the population. the battles to live together and

establish from libya. we're going see people coming forward and accept it. >> so we have got jump in. >> you make a good point. there is a common goal here. rsh the reality is that is going to be very difficult. you have people fighting together from neighboring towns who would not have dinner together before this started. that's not going to be easy.

>> the most important thing that the council said is that we can't hold libyan whose relative those people have to be brought into the account.

>> this map helps illustrate things better. you see libya in green. in red you see the countries that formally recognize the transitional national council as the representative of the libyan people. and the latest addition. but the countries in blue are not quite there. at least not yet. some like ireland and switzerland have established relations but only in formal recognition. others see the tnc more as a negotiating party.

our reporter is in cairo egypt right now. and michael began by asking him whether the speed of the rebel's advance was surprising. >> very surprised. because first of all we have been told by many sources that there were widespread expectations of a blood path when the opposition fighters finally got to tripoli. >> the speed at which the rebels got tripoli was far faster than we expected as well. really, the critical thing is when they took the town. basically the capital was cut off from the rest of the world and it was really a matter of time before things started to fall apart in the dam.

>> the speed they moved off of the mountains and hit the coast, not to dilute what is going on. there has been severe fighting and many casualties up against what is meant to be a trained army. you surprised at just how quickly that army melted away? >> i think that there was a certain amount of momentum with the opposition fighters. they were convinced of the justice of their cause and it

was rough going. at certain points i remember the area in eastern libya it was really a work in progress and often there was no progress. it would come under fire from gadhafi's forces and just retreat in cleat chaos. it's not clear where that came from. we have interviewed many captured soldiers and there did seem to be the feeling that there was not very high moral among their forces that they were confused as to who they were fighting.

they complained of shortage of food and ammunition and very little in terms of logistical support. even the libyan army on the surface is better equipped and better trained. they didn't seem to have much in the way of good leadership and their heart, it appears, just was not in the fight. >> still ahead, we are on world report, we will look back at how the war began and how rebels made it to where they are now. do stay with us. it's heart-healthier than butter. with omega-3s. 64% less saturated fat. and clinically proven to help support healthy cholesterol. ♪ put a little love in your heart ♪

you are looking at new video from the rebel held city soft tobruk and people are celebrating the news that the opposition has made serious gains in the capital. rebels have controlled the eastern city since the uprising. certainly a dramatic day in libya. there have been some celebrations over the apparent demise of libyan leader gadhafi. anti-gadhafi forces say they are now in control of most parts of tripoli. gadhafi's where abouts are still unknown at this point but the gadhafi regime is clearly crumbling. >> libya remains a fluid

situation. we will continue to keep you updated but we also want to tell you about another story, another tropical storm that could pose a threat to millions. >> tropical storm irene is the ninth tropical storm of the season. every one of these have all come and gone. nothing so far has turned into a hurricane. now the national hurricane center has kept records since 1851. not too often do you get that many storms without one being a hurricane. winds just up to 113 kilometers an hour. which is 74 miles an hour. it is going to strengthen inside the next 24 hours and weaken beyond that after it interacts

with this area here. the governments in the areas are taking this very seriously. we have hurricane watches and warnings up and down the caribbean. the question lies, what is the storm going to do. heavy rain across the region. on into areas of haiti and beyond that the models want to take the storm system to the islands sometime in the next 36 hours. florida has got to be watching the storm very carefully. >> thank you. >> again as we continue to monitor the situation in libya, let's look at some of the other stories making news around the

world. syria president said that elections could be held in february and that his military is not targeting peaceful protesters. syria is trying to end an uprising. funerals have been hold for soldiers and civilians that died in thursday's attack in southern israel. rockets have been fired and the military has responded with air strikes and 15 people have died. >> a lawyer for hotel housekeeper says she will meet with prosecutors in new york later today. a lawyer expects some or all of the charges will be dropped. the housekeeper has accused the former head of the international monitor fund of sexual assault. a court hearing is scheduled for tuesday. it's the start of the trading week in the global

markets. so let's see what's happening across asia. the nikkei, hang seng are trading lower. >> the compound which you can see on the map has been blasted regularly since the start of the international campaign. this would be a significant sign of how the battle is going. >> still ahead, talking to gadhafi face to face when i met the libyan leader back in 2006, i didn't know exactly what to expect. [ artis brown ] america is facing some tough challenges right now.

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are into tripoli, he remains the seat of the rebel leadership, the transitional national council. and the conflict has been at a standstill. remember how the rebels swept out in the east, all the way west to the city of misrata. have been making significant gains. and from there, late last month, earlier this month they began a push towards the capital of tripoli. first they took the town.

another strategically important city of gharyan. it is right on gadhafi's doorst doorstep. a lot of people are saying this now could be the beginning of the end baz the capital is now under siege. and now now gadhafi is isolated, he is cut off from the rest of the world. >> now we have no idea what's next for gadhafi but we do know that he is a man who has made quite an impression. i actually had an opportunity to sit down with him, something i won't soon forget. he is the strangest head of state i have ever met. gadhafi received me several years ago in his tent in

tripoli. just about every billboard and sign was painted with his picture. ronald reagan once called gadhafi a mad dog. he is famous for his dress, legion of female body guards and his bizarre fix axs such as a plan to abolish switzerland. we never saw female body guards and his clothing was relatively low key. it would be considered an insult

and maybe we could go to court to redeem honor from that insult. >> back then libya was a rogue state trying to redeem itself. he still is the unpredictable element. >> an incredible interview and an incredible man. >> i don't know what's going to happen. he seems -- he seemed like a clown, too distant from the affairs of this world to be running a country but he is a deadly dictator. and for all we know he is still

going to fight on until the end. >> we don't know where he is. there might be this fighting at the compound but we don't actually know that he is in there. incredible interview. >> thank you very much. >> of course we do want to bring you up to speed now on a development coming out of tripoli. sounds of sporadic gunfire and explosions coming from tripoli. has been blasted regularly. now this new development would be a significant sign on how this batment is going.

>> this is the main part. >> what happens if gadhafi leaves and they have to run the country? we will have live analysis from a regional expert. thank you for joining us. >> stay with me as our coverage continues right after the break. introducing the schwab mobile app.

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