NATO airstrikes rock Tripoli

Loud explosions rocked Tripoli early Wednesday morning as NATO kept up its heaviest bombing of the Libyan capital since air strikes began in March -- but Muammar Gaddafi vowed to fight to the end.

The latest series of attacks which began on Tuesday night hit the city several times an hour, targeting Gaddafi’s compound as well as other military installations. NATO says it is increasing the scope and intensity of its air campaign in an effort to oust the long-time leader and allow Libya's rebel insurgency to take charge.

A government spokesman told reporters that at least 31 people were killed in 60 strikes, though his account could not be independently verified.

In a phone call broadcast by Libyan state TV, Gaddafi vowed not to surrender, shouting "We will not kneel." But speaking in Washington, US President Barack Obama said NATO pressure is starting to wear on Gaddafi's regime.

Gaddafi's troops and the rebels have been deadlocked for weeks, with neither side able to hold territory on a road between Ajdabiyah in the east, which Gaddafi's forces shelled on Monday, and the Gaddafi-held oil town of Brega further west. The rebels have been unable to advance on the capital against Gaddafi's better-equipped fighters.

Listen to report by Kelsea Brennan-Wessels: