Facing an unprecedented revolt against his 41-year rule, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi today appeared on state television dismissing reports that he had fled the country. He told his countrymen that they should not believe foreign channels. The statement of Gaddafi, who is battling an Egypt-like crisis, came amid fresh clashes between security forces and protesters. Al-Jazeera television said Libyan Justice Minister Mustapha Abdul Jalil had resigned in protest against the what it called excessive use of violence against demonstrators and joined the agitation. In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent out a tough message to the Libyan leader, warning against the use of lethal force on peaceful demonstrators. Clinton said in a statement, that the government of Libya has a responsibility to respect the universal rights of the people, including the right to free expression and assembly and it is the time to stop unacceptable bloodshed. The anti-government protests reached the capital Tripoli yesterday for the first time after days of violent unrest in the eastern city of Benghazi, but Gaddafi's son pledged to fight the revolt to the last man standing, warning protesters that Libya was neither Tunisia nor Egypt. A wave of anti-regime protests has gripped the Arab world, but the suppression is turning out to be the most brutal in Libya.