“You are mistaken, you are involved in a battle that you don’t know what you are going to face, so withdraw, and run away,” Gadhafi told a pro-government gathering in Tripoli. “Our people is able in one day to move the battle to the Mediterranean, and able to move the battle to Europe.”

Gadhafi referred to NATO, which began bombing military targets in Libya after the U.N. Security Council approved a resolution in March authorizing force by whatever means necessary, with the exception of a ground invasion, to protect civilians.

He vowed vengeance for the bombings, saying the Libyan military could be “like locusts, like bees” in Europe. Homes and offices could be potential targets, he said.