Muammar Gadafy vowed once again to "fight to the end" after Nato air strikes targeted his Bab al-Aziziya compound in central Tripoli
In a fiery speech broadcast live on state television he called on his supporters to flock to his compound.
"We only have one choice: we will stay in our land dead or alive," he said.
Describing planes flying overhead and explosions around him, Gadafy was defiant.
"We are stronger than your missiles, stronger than your planes and the voice of the Libyan people is louder than explosions," he said in his customary impassioned tone.
He said he was ready to unleash between 250,000 to 500,00 armed Libyans to swarm across the country to cleanse it from "armed gangs", a reference to the rebels controlling the east of the North African oil producer.
"Whether we are martyred, killed or commit suicide, we care about our duty towards history," he said, demanding to know why the bombardment was continuing.
Libyan state television showed images of what it said was a meeting between Gadafy and tribal leaders this evening at an unidentified location.
Gadafy, wearing dark glasses and traditional robes, was greeting the leaders in a small room without windows.
US President Barack Obama said it was "just a matter of time" before Gadafy was ousted.
At a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Obama described "significant" progress in the Nato drive to protect Libyan civilians and rebels from attacks by Gadafy supporters.
"What you are seeing across the country is an inexorable trend of the regime forces being pushed back, being incapacitated," he said. "I think it is just a matter of time before Gadafy goes."
Loud explosions shook Tripoli today in what appeared to be Nato air strikes on the Libyan capital, a day after rebels seized a town in the west, driving out Gadafy's forces.
Several huge explosions shook the area around Gadafy's Bab al-Aziziya compound in central Tripoli, sending columns of grey smoke into the sky.
The blasts appeared to be a rare daytime attack by Nato on the compound. It has been struck several times in recent weeks, usually at night.
The smoke could be seen from a hotel near the compound where many foreign journalists are based.
Meanwhile, the EU said today it was adding six Libyan ports to the list of assets frozen in sanctions imposed on Muammar Gadafy's government.
"The council of the European Union adopted a decision today extending the assets freeze to six Libyan port authorities, in view of the gravity of the situation in the country," said a statement from the European Council, which represents all EU governments.
The statement did not give any details of what form the sanctions would take, but EU officials say they will make it illegal for European-operated ships to do business with the port authorities.
A one-month window has been left for existing contracts, one official said.
The EU has already imposed a travel ban and wide-ranging asset freeze.
The Libyan capital and vicinity has come under increased attack by Nato bombers in recent days, with strikes hitting the city and its outskirts every few hours.
Libyan TV said al-Karama neighbourhood was hit by Nato forces, which have been bombing targets of Col Gadafy’s government since March. It later said a telecommunications station was hit.
"The crusading colonial aggressor this evening hit and destroyed a communications centre west of Tripoli, severing land communications in some areas. The station is civilian," it said last night.
Nato said it had struck a military "command and control target" in a strike yesterday.
"As long as Gadafy continues to threaten civilians, Nato will maintain the pressure upon his regime and will continue to degrade his ability to attack the population of Libya," said Lt-Gen Charles Bouchard, commander of the Nato mission.
Rebels control the east of Libya, the western city of Misrata and the range of mountains near the border with Tunisia. But they have been unable to advance on the capital against Col Gadafy's better-equipped forces, despite Nato air strikes.
Rebels seized Yafran, 100km southwest of Tripoli, yesterday in a sign Nato strikes may be helping them advance after weeks of deadlock. British warplanes destroyed two tanks and two armoured personnel carriers on June 2nd.
Yafran is spread over a hill, the bottom part of which had been controlled by pro-Gadafy forces for more than a month and used to besiege the rebel-controlled part. Food, drinking water and medicines were running short.
Reuters