Libyan rebels say they have captured Misrata airport, driving back troops loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi.
Hundreds of rebels were celebrating in the streets after pro-Gaddafi forces fled, leaving behind tanks that were set on fire, witnesses said.
Government forces have been pounding the western city, which remains largely under rebel control, for weeks.
Its port has become a lifeline for supplying civilians and for evacuating wounded people fleeing the fighting.
Meanwhile, explosions were reported in the capital Tripoli on Wednesday, after Nato said its planes had carried out 6,000 missions over Libya since it assumed command of military operations there at the end of March.
The air strikes have helped secure rebels in their strongholds in eastern Libya, but observers say it remains unclear to what extent they have loosened Col Gaddafi's grip on on the west of the country.
Bodies in street
Witnesses said Misrata airport fell after hours of fighting between rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces overnight.
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Analysis
image of Andrew Harding Andrew Harding Benghazi, eastern Libya
Misrata's airport has been an important base for Col Gaddafi's forces and heavy weapons during the long siege of the city and the heavy bombardments that have accompanied it.
During the past few days, rebels have been making a big push to break the siege, and heavy fighting has been reported around the airport south of the city. A French reporter at the airport said it had been captured, along with a number of government tanks, but that couldn't be confirmed by the rebel's chief military spokesman - a fact that may underline the poor communications that have plagued Libya's fragmented revolutionaries.
It is probably too soon to consider whether the airport can be used to bring supplies - civilian or military - into Misrata. Col Gaddafi's forces have managed, despite intensified Nato air raids, to keep hold of long-range weapons with a range of more than 30km (20 miles).
The broader question is whether the rebels can now hold onto both the airport, and a larger swathe of territory recently captured on the western side of the city. The next few days should offer some insights into the resilience of pro-Gaddafi forces in the area, and their determination to recapture the only fully "liberated" chunk of western Libya.
The bodies of pro-government forces could be seen lying in the street as the rebels celebrated their victory, correspondents said. A dozen rebels were said to have been wounded in the fighting.
Col Ahmed Bani, a spokesmen for the rebel leadership in Benghazi, told the BBC that as well as taking the airport, "revolutionary forces" now controlled Misrata.
As well as burning government tanks, the rebels had captured other weaponry from the regime troops, he said.
Libya's third-largest city, Misrata is the only significant western rebel holdout, and is strategically important because of its deep-sea port.
Though the rebels are said to be better organised than those in eastern Libya, and have, for example, set up a network of makeshift arms factories, their campaign is still an improvised affair.
Government forces have sown anti-shipping mines off the harbour, used Russian-made Grad rockets to scatter anti-vehicle mines in the port, and set fuel storage tanks ablaze with missile strikes, according to rebels and human rights groups.
Pro-Gaddafi troops in civilian areas are also using Spanish-made cluster bombs, Human Rights Watch and other agencies say.
Libya's government says militants inspired by al-Qaeda are fighting with rebel forces in Misrata.
It says it is trying to protect civilians from rebels, and that doctors in the city were "trying to give a bad image of Misrata" to encourage more direct Nato intervention.
Hundreds of rebels were celebrating in the streets after pro-Gaddafi forces fled, leaving behind tanks that were set on fire, witnesses said.
Government forces have been pounding the western city, which remains largely under rebel control, for weeks.
Its port has become a lifeline for supplying civilians and for evacuating wounded people fleeing the fighting.
Meanwhile, explosions were reported in the capital Tripoli on Wednesday, after Nato said its planes had carried out 6,000 missions over Libya since it assumed command of military operations there at the end of March.
The air strikes have helped secure rebels in their strongholds in eastern Libya, but observers say it remains unclear to what extent they have loosened Col Gaddafi's grip on on the west of the country.
Bodies in street
Witnesses said Misrata airport fell after hours of fighting between rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces overnight.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
image of Andrew Harding Andrew Harding Benghazi, eastern Libya
Misrata's airport has been an important base for Col Gaddafi's forces and heavy weapons during the long siege of the city and the heavy bombardments that have accompanied it.
During the past few days, rebels have been making a big push to break the siege, and heavy fighting has been reported around the airport south of the city. A French reporter at the airport said it had been captured, along with a number of government tanks, but that couldn't be confirmed by the rebel's chief military spokesman - a fact that may underline the poor communications that have plagued Libya's fragmented revolutionaries.
It is probably too soon to consider whether the airport can be used to bring supplies - civilian or military - into Misrata. Col Gaddafi's forces have managed, despite intensified Nato air raids, to keep hold of long-range weapons with a range of more than 30km (20 miles).
The broader question is whether the rebels can now hold onto both the airport, and a larger swathe of territory recently captured on the western side of the city. The next few days should offer some insights into the resilience of pro-Gaddafi forces in the area, and their determination to recapture the only fully "liberated" chunk of western Libya.
The bodies of pro-government forces could be seen lying in the street as the rebels celebrated their victory, correspondents said. A dozen rebels were said to have been wounded in the fighting.
Col Ahmed Bani, a spokesmen for the rebel leadership in Benghazi, told the BBC that as well as taking the airport, "revolutionary forces" now controlled Misrata.
As well as burning government tanks, the rebels had captured other weaponry from the regime troops, he said.
Libya's third-largest city, Misrata is the only significant western rebel holdout, and is strategically important because of its deep-sea port.
Though the rebels are said to be better organised than those in eastern Libya, and have, for example, set up a network of makeshift arms factories, their campaign is still an improvised affair.
Government forces have sown anti-shipping mines off the harbour, used Russian-made Grad rockets to scatter anti-vehicle mines in the port, and set fuel storage tanks ablaze with missile strikes, according to rebels and human rights groups.
Pro-Gaddafi troops in civilian areas are also using Spanish-made cluster bombs, Human Rights Watch and other agencies say.
Libya's government says militants inspired by al-Qaeda are fighting with rebel forces in Misrata.
It says it is trying to protect civilians from rebels, and that doctors in the city were "trying to give a bad image of Misrata" to encourage more direct Nato intervention.
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