From what can be gathered from first-hand accounts, the French strikes on Gaddafi forces outside Benghazi came just in the nick of time, as heavy tanks began to pound the cityscape.

The reports of death tolls have been conflicting. But it seems that people were already dying on the streets of Benghazi as French Rafale jets struck Gaddafi’s tanks just outside the rebel capital.

It was not a moment too soon. That first sortie kick-started a series of events that led to more air strikes by the French and the British, and a missile strike by the US. Long-range US bombers also dropped conventional weapons on Libyan air bases, effectively removing their air capability.

Yesterday morning, Gaddafi resorted to long-known theatrics, as were seen by Saddam Hussein (I) and (II). Libyan television began showing footage of a hospital which it claimed had been bombed. The same report said that the number of dead was about 94.

While it is inevitable that there will be, as the armed forces put it, collateral damage, the West must now continue what it started. The UN resolution allows for the protection of Libyan citizens, but the coalition has already stated that the end aim is not Gaddafi, but to afford protection for the Libyan people.

As Gaddafi spoke of cease fires, he began to shell the town of Misurata near Tripoli, with people risking life and limb to get footage out to prove the case in the hope of more air strikes. At the same time, Gaddafi announced that he was opening up munitions depots around Libya to allow the people to arm and defend themselves.

While it is clear that there is broad support for the revolution, Gaddafi still retains support. Whether it is bought or genuine, one cannot really say. But the fight is a long way away from being over.

As it intensifies, and becomes more long-drawn-out, the potential of having a liberated East and a Somalia in the Mediterranean becomes very real. While the government of Malta has played a very cautious hand, it surely must realise that there is nothing to be gained from sitting on the fence. As our sister newspaper TMIS put it yesterday, it is time to come off the fence and plant two feet firmly on the ground.

The neutrality clause, pardon the pun, was neutralised by the UN resolution, and this led Foreign Minister Tonio Borg to give a rambling comment to Sky News. The interviewer opened with the statement: “Some see Malta’s stance as being sympathetic towards Gaddafi.”

Let us be clear. Malta is not being sympathetic with Gaddafi, but it is doing the bare minimum in imposing sanctions and allowing aircraft to fly through Maltese airspace towards Libya.

Tonio Borg should have found the strength in himself to properly explain why Malta took the stance it did (we still don’t know), rather than sounding like someone trying to squirm away from something they did not want to hear. The Prime Minister says Malta is now bracing itself for the wave of asylum seekers which will leave Libya once factional fighting kicks in. He is right. But while the government should have kept that in mind, it should have sought to take a larger role in the operation against Gaddafi. By sitting on the fence for so long, it is now in a lose-lose situation. With the rebels because we should have done more, and with Gaddafi because we did nothing, not that we should at all be entertaining thoughts about him.

But, as this all unfolds, we have to ask: “What about Bahrain? What about Syria? What about Yemen? What about Zimbabwe? What about Swaziland?” Fascinating, isn’t it.