David Cameron has said military intervention is necessary in Libya to stop "brutal attacks" on civilians, saying the UK would "play its part" in action against the Gaddafi regime.
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| Defence Secretary Liam Fox and military commanders attended a Cabinet meeting earlier |
The UK Prime Minister told MPs that "exceptional circumstances" justified action in Libya within "clear limits".
He was assured there was a "clear and unequivocal" legal basis for action.
He said it would be a joint operation between the UK, France and the US on a "appropriate timescale".
Mr Cameron called on the Libyan leader to abide by a UN resolution agreed on Thursday - calling for an immediate ceasefire and attacks on civilians - and that if he did not so action would begin immediately.
UK, French and US warplanes are set to go into action over Libya after the UN backed "all necessary measures", short of an invasion, to protect civilians.
Earlier, the prime minister chaired an emergency meeting of the Cabinet, attended by senior military commanders.
A French government spokesmen has said initial air raids on Libyan positions could take place "within a few hours".
But No 10 sources have so far declined to put any timetable on possible British military engagement - or whether UK involvement could begin this weekend.
BBC Defence Correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the UK and its allies had to decide what their initial targets would be and who would carry them out.
Government sources have indicated that MPs will be given the chance to vote on the UK's involvement in military action on Monday.
The BBC's Political Correspondent Norman Smith said senior Lib Dem ministers in the coalition government were "strongly supportive" of the UN's decision and that party leader and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg would address his MPs on the issue later on Friday.
Business Secretary Vince Cable has said Libya is a wholly different situation from Iraq and that the government is acting for humanitarian reasons. He says he fully supports the decision.
The UN resolution imposes a ban on all flights in Libyan airspace, excluding aid flights.
It authorises member states to "take all necessary measures" to "protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack" short of putting an "occupation force" on the ground.
The resolution - which also calls for an immediate ceasefire in Libya and a tightening of sanctions against the Gaddafi regime - would permit air strikes on Libyan ground troops or allow attacks on Libyan war ships if they were attacking civilians.
Ten UN Security Council members backed the resolution while five - including China, Russia and Germany - abstained
The Gaddafi regime - whose forces have recently retaken several towns seized by rebels since February's uprising began - have reacted defiantly to the UN initiative, claiming the resolution was "unfair" and that their supporters were "not afraid".
But rebel forces in Benghazi, the opposition stronghold that came under attack for the first time on Thursday, reacted with joy to the passing of the resolution.
Col Gaddafi had earlier warned the rebels there that his troops were heading to the city and to expect "no mercy".
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