Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. West Pounds Libya with Missiles; Gadhafi Vows Retaliation VOA News March 20, 2011 This Saturday, March 19, 2011 photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) as it launches a Tomahawk missile Photo: AP This Saturday, March 19, 2011 photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) as it launches a Tomahawk missile in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn from the Mediterranean Sea The United States and European nations launched missile strikes against Libyan air defenses Saturday in an effort to enforce a no-fly zone and contain Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces.  A U.S. Defense Department official said more than 112 Tomahawk missiles were fired from U.S. and British ships and submarines in the Mediterranean. More than 20 targets deemed a direct threat to coalition forces and Libyan civilians were hit in the attacks. Libyan state television said 48 people were killed and 150 wounded in the allied assault. Mr. Gadhafi denounced the strikes as "unjustified crusader aggression." The Libyan leader vowed to retaliate against military and civilian targets in the Mediterranean, saying the region had been turned into a "real battlefield." He also said he would open weapons depots so Libyans could arm themselves.  Thousands of Libyans gathered in the highly-fortified compound where Mr. Gadhafi lives in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, to form a human shield against possible air strikes. Anti-aircraft fire could be heard overnight in the capital. In Brazil, visiting U.S. President Barack Obama said Mr. Gadhafi had given the West no choice but to take military action. British Prime Minister David Cameron said in London that the action against Mr. Gadhafi was "necessary, legal and right.'' French warplanes were the first to pound Libyan targets Saturday. The military action was decided at an emergency international summit in Paris earlier in the day. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said representatives of the U.N., European Union, Arab League and Western powers had agreed at their Paris summit to use all necessary means, including military force. He said they agreed to carry out provisions in the U.N. Security Council resolution, approved Thursday, that declared the no-fly zone over Libya. Pro-government forces in Libya had advanced against rebels on two fronts Saturday. Insurgents in their eastern stronghold of Benghazi said government loyalists had been pushing forward, in apparent disregard of a cease-fire Mr. Gadhafi declared Friday.  There were also reports of fighting south of Benghazi in Adjabiya as well as in Misrata, a rebel-held city in western Libya near Tripoli. The Reuters news agency quotes residents who say nine people were killed in the city on Saturday as a result of government shelling and sniper fire. Mr. Gadhafi had sent urgent messages to world leaders Saturday, including Mr. Obama and United U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In a letter read to reporters by a government spokesman in Tripoli, Mr. Gadhafi noted the rebels had seized control of Benghazi, and asked rhetorically how Mr. Obama would "behave" if there were a similar situation in the United States.  Addressing the secretary-general, Mr. Gadhafi described the resolution as "invalid." He predicted that any Western action against Libya would be seen as "clear aggression." Russia said Saturday it "regretted" the international military action against Libya. A Foreign Ministry statement said the resolution had been "hastily" passed. .