Here is a look at how the situation got to this point, and what the major players are saying and doing.  THE START OF THE CONFLICT  Libya's civil war began last month, following protests that coincided with a larger wave of demonstrations in North Africa and the Middle East against governments there.  In Libya, protesters rallied against, among other things, high unemployment and a delay in a government housing project, and they eventually called for democracy and an end to Moammar Gadhafi's almost 42-year-long rule. Clashes between protesters and security forces began in Benghazi -- Libya's second-largest city -- on February 16, and as violence spread to other cities, opposition forces claimed control of Benghazi and other parts of eastern Libya.  In the ensuing days, the opposition and external governments accused the Libyan regime of atrocities and rights violations, including allegations of a military helicopter firing on a crowd in Benghazi, other military attacks against civilians, arbitrary detentions and summary executions. Gadhafi's regime responded that it was attacking al Qaeda, not civilians.  GADHAFI'S FORCES GAIN GROUND AGAINST REBELS  At the beginning of March, the Libyan military stepped up efforts to reclaim areas lost to rebels.  Pro-Gadhafi forces marched eastward, hammering rebel positions in north-central Libya's Ras Lanuf by the end of last week and moving on to al-Brega and Ajdabiya. By the end of this week, Gadhafi's forces were poised to strike Benghazi.  ARAB LEAGUE REQUESTS NO-FLY ZONE; U.N. COMPLIES  While the rebels pleaded for help, late last week, the Arab League voted to ask the United Nations Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to "protect the civilian population," league Secretary General Amre Moussa said.
An international military coalition including France, the United States and Great Britain attacked Libyan air-defense and other military targets Saturday night in an operation that eventually will