The rebels just announced they took Syrthe. If proven true, this would be a major shift.

Personnaly, I need explanation on the declarations of Mr Gate who said operation could take months. Must be motivated by domestic politic but does not reflect, even partialy, reality on the ground.

About the rebels:as in all civilian uprising or rebellion, the ones who have military/weaponery knowledge are not Mr and Mrs smith. For the recall, during WW2, allied forces used italian and corsica mafia (not really good guys). The question is rather can the west establish strong enough contacts with guys who are muslims, nationalist and also shaped by their cultural environment to become the next government? You cannot blame people because they did fight the US in Irak. You can blame them if they intend to set a fascist calliphat in Libya.