A Libyan man looks on in front of the partially destroyed building at the central square in Zawiya, LIbya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011. Libyan rebels expelled government forces from the strategic western city of Zawiya on Saturday, a major victory for the opposition in their march on Moammar Kadafi's stronghold of Tripoli. (AP Photo/Giulio Petrocco)
A Libyan man looks on in front of the partially destroyed building at the central square in Zawiya, LIbya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011. Libyan rebels expelled government forces from the strategic western city of Zawiya on Saturday, a major victory for the opposition in their march on Moammar Kadafi's stronghold of Tripoli. (AP Photo/Giulio Petrocco)
In this image from video rebel fighters react to the camera as they celebrate victory on a street in Zawiya, Libya Friday Aug.19 2011 after they battled for control of the strategic central square against forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi. Rebel forces were reported to have expelled government forces from Zawiya, a coastal city just 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Tripoli, on Saturday Aug. 20. They also claim to have captured two more towns - Zlitan in the west and Brega in the east. The momentum in the six-month-old Libyan civil war now appears to have firmly swung in the rebels favor after months of near deadlock. (AP Photo/Sky via APTN)
In this Friday, Aug. 19, 2011 photo, people help a wounded rebel fighter to a stretcher at a field hospital on the south outskirts of Zawiya, Libya. Libyan rebels expelled government forces from the strategic western city of Zawiya on Saturday, a major victory for the opposition in their march on Moammar Kadafi's stronghold of Tripoli. (AP Photo/Giulio Petrocco)
People celebrate the recent news of uprising in Tripoli against Moammar Gadhafi's regime at the rebel-held town of Benghazi, Libya, early Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011. Libyan rebels said they launched their first attack on Tripoli in coordination with NATO late Saturday, and Associated Press reporters heard unusually heavy gunfire and explosions in the capital. The fighting erupted just hours after opposition fighters captured the key city of Zawiya nearby. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
VINEYARD HAVEN, Mass. (AP) ? A vacationing President Barack Obama was being kept up to date by aides on developments in Libya and U.S. officials were in touch with their contacts in that country Saturday to determine the progress of rebel troops advancing on Libya's capital, Tripoli.
A senior administration official said the president was briefed during the day on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., and would continue to get regular updates, including through the night if necessary. A second senior official said the administration was in close contact with the Libyan opposition and U.S. allies and partners, and believes that Moammar Gadhafi's days in power are numbered.
It is unclear to some U.S. analysts, however, whether these latest developments translate to a tipping point.
Analysts have concluded that Gadhafi's well-known mercurial decision-making style means he could decide within hours to flee, or stay to the bitter end.
If Gadhafi flees or is otherwise deposed, the administration plans to voice the support of the U.S. and its partners in the international community for the opposition and assist it as the country makes a transition to democracy, officials say. But the administration will also continue to stress that this is a matter for the Libyan people to decide.
The officials, both with the White House and with other agencies, spoke anonymously to discuss sensitive diplomatic matters.
Reporters in Tripoli heard gunfire and explosions after rebel troops seized control of Zawiya, a major coastal city not far from the capital. Rebel leaders called it the start of an attack on Gadhafi's main stronghold.
Obama spent most of Saturday at his vacation compound on this island off Cape Cod. He dropped in briefly at a reception hosted by his friend and former law school professor, Charles Ogletree, but was back at the complex in just over an hour.
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Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and Erica Werner in Martha's Vineyard and Matthew Lee and Kim Dozier in Washington contributed to this report.
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