How long before we bomb both sides?

So what happens, writes Peter Rhodes, when the Libyan rebels, assisted by President Sarkozy's pre-election aerial blitz, arrive at the gates of Tripoli?

If past form is any guide, they will sound their car horns and fire a lot of bullets into the air. But the evidence so far is that the moment any bullets come their way, the rebels run away.

And who can blame them? This is a huge battlefield. If you live in Benghazi, liberating Tripoli is the equivalent of a British rebel army trekking all the way from Land's End to John O'Groats.

Why bother when you can safely draw a line in the sand at Hadrian's Wall and let the Anglo-French air armada keep the enemy on the other side for years to come?

Besides, no rebel army could take Tripoli without harming civilians. The UN has authorised the use of air power solely to protect civilians.

You see the dilemma?

This could become the first war in history in which the RAF deliberately bombs both sides.