DAMAGE ASSESSMENT – AT 8:54 P.M. ET:  Fox News has a damage assessment, which we presume comes from reliable sources:

Military strikes by the U.S. and its allies against targets in Libya Saturday have "severely disabled" Libyan leader's Muammar al-Qaddafi's air defenses, a U.S. official confirms to Fox News.

The official also warns they do not know what Qaddafi will do next following the military strikes.

"It's too soon to predict what he and his ground forces may do in response to today's strikes," the official told Fox News.

Despite the blow, Qaddafi remained defiant as he threatened to attack military and civilian targets in the Mediterranean in retaliation of international coalition strikes on Libya.

"It is now necessary to open the stores and arm all the masses with all types of weapons to defend the independence, unity and honor of Libya," Qaddafi said in a speech broadcast on Libya state television, according to Reuters. He also warns that weapons depots are being opened to arm the Libyan people in defense.

COMMENT:  It's impossible to know what is accurate at this hour.  One of the greatest considerations in the next few days will be the loyalty of Qaddafi's forces.  If they start to defect, this could be over quickly.  If they remain loyal, this could turn very messy.

I will speculate that lines of communication to Qaddafi are being kept open, especially by the foreign ministries of Europe.  These lines could be used to negotiate his exit from Libya.  But who will then take over?  That should be among our greatest worries right now.

March 19, 2011