The United States last night issued a warning to Colonel Gadafy of Libya that it would repeat its use of military force if any of its ships and aircraft exercising in the Mediterranean were attacked.
In a flurry of diplomatic activity the State Department also said it was considering a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the shooting down over the Bay of Sirte yesterday of two Libyan Sukhoi-22 combat aircraft after an alleged attack on American F-14 jet fighters.
A special meeting of North Atlantic council ambassadors was held in Brussels and American embassies were instructed to give details to their host governments. A State Department spokesman said, ╥We have notified the Soviets of the incident but we have not asked them to take any special action.╙
The threat of more force was made in a protest note sent to the Libyans by Washington last night. It said: ╥Further attacks against US forces operating in international waters and air space will be resisted with force if necessary.╙
