Forces in Libya loyal to Col. Gaddafi have launched fierce attacks on positions which rebel troops have held in recent days, forcing them to retreat. 68-year-old Muammar Gaddafi's forces claimed that they had recaptured Zawiyah, 50 km west of the capital Tripoli, after an intense fighting. However, the rebels rejected the claim. With barrage of tank and artillery fire, Government forces also attacked the key coastal town of Ras Lanuf. The Ras Lanuf hospital has been evacuated due to the bombardment, and a mosque has been hit in an oil workers' residential area. Government planes also targeted Brega, another oil port further east. Gaddafi's army is making significant progress in the fighting, winning in central and western areas from anti-Government rebels President' Obama's intelligence advisor said, he expects Col. Gaddafi to win the battle to stay in power. Meanwhile, NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Libya have resisted calls for an air exclusion zone over Libya to prevent operations by the Libyan air force. And, the Gulf Arab Ministers meeting in Riyadh said, Col. Gaddafi's regime has lost its legitimacy.