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• Gaddafi forces in ‘final battle’ for rebel-held Zawiyah • Witnesses say onslaught has ‘flattened’ the town • Opposition calls on Gaddafi to quit in 72 hours • New airstrikes near oil port of Ras Lanuf • Read the latest summary of today’s events 6.28pm: As the Gaddafi regime deploys tanks and hundreds of troops in all-out effort to take the town of Zawiya, my colleague Peter Beaumont reports from nearby Tripoli on an escalation in the Libyan conflict : If it is confirmed, the defeat of opposition forces in Zawiyah, just 30 miles from Tripoli – already claimed twice by the regime in recent days – would mark a significant psychological moment for Gaddafi. Although most sources were suggesting the rebellion in Zawiyah had been crushed, a resident named Ibrahim claimed combat was continuing. The Gaddafi regime has cut all mobile and landline communications with the town and accounts of today’s fighting came from witnesses who had driven out of the combat area and one who had climbed on a roof to find a phone signal. Residents described a hail of bullets, with women and children being killed and families trapped within their homes. The violence of this assault marks a disturbing escalation in the developing civil war in Libya, suggesting that the regime has now decided to pursue a no-holds barred strategy to crush the rebellion, despite the growing threats of international action. Witnesses in Zawiyah said many buildings, including mosques, had been destroyed and rebel forces had used loudhailers to call on residents to help defend positions in the town centre. 6.00pm: Good evening and welcome to our evening coverage of events in Libya. Here is a summary of what we know so far. • Forces loyal to the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have launched what is being described as a “final assault” on the town of Zawiyah, 50km from the capital, Tripoli. Accounts from the town report a sustained battle, and there are reports of significant damage and many injuries. • Sky News, whose correspondent Alex Crawford and her crew were trapped in Zawiyah over the weekend, said it witnessed Gaddafi forces firing on unarmed civilians and ambulances . These accounts were corroborated from Tripoli by the Guardian’s Peter Beaumont, who reports: “Residents described a hail of bullets with women and children being killed and families trapped within their homes by the ferocity of the fighting.” • The Libyan National Council in Benghazi, set up by the opposition, claims Gaddafi sent a representative to negotiate a peaceful exit for the Libyan leader, which would see him retain assets and avoid prosecution. A spokesman for the council said it would not negotiate with “someone who spilled Libyan blood and continues to do so”. But a Libyan foreign ministry official described the reports as “absolute nonsense”. • In Egypt, a march by women to mark international women’s day and to call for greater female participation in post-revolution political developments, was marred by a counter-demonstration by men. The scenes at the Cairo march turned ugly, and there were reports of scuffles. Arab and Middle East protests Libya Muammar Gaddafi Yemen Egypt Ben Quinn guardian.co.uk