The resolution formed the legal basis for military intervention in the Libyan Civil War, demanding "an immediate ceasefire" and authorizing the international community to establish a no-fly zone and to use all means necessary short of foreign occupation to protect civilians.

The Brazilian Ambassador Mrs. Viotti further observed that ...an important aspect of the popular movement in North Africa and the Middle East is their spontaneous, homegrown nature.

[13] Military intervention in Libya began on 19 March, as fighter jets of the French Air Force destroyed several pro-Gaddafi vehicles advancing on rebel stronghold Benghazi.

U.S. and British submarines then fired over 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles at targets throughout Libya, severely disabling the regime's air defense capability and allowing a wider enforcement of the no-fly zone to begin.

[14] On 24 August, it was acknowledged for the first time that special forces troops from Britain,[15] Italy, France, Jordan, Qatar,[16] and the UAE[16] had intervened on the ground in Libyan territory, stepping up operations in Tripoli and other cities.