Violence in Libya intensified as the government attacked protesters and rebels claimed control of the second-biggest city, Benghazi, after Muammar Qaddafi's son threatened "rivers of blood" unless the uprising ends.

Security forces stormed "terror and sabotage hideouts" and urged citizens to help restore security, state television said, warning against "organized gangs that are destroying Libya." Protesters said they had taken over Benghazi after clashes yesterday, the Associated Press said, citing witnesses. The International Federation for Human Rights said more than 300 people have been killed in the past week. Al Arabiya television said 160 died in violence in Tripoli, the capital.

In a state television address late yesterday, Saif al-Islam Qaddafi warned of the risk of civil strife with "hundreds of thousands of dead" if protesters don't engage in dialogue with the government. He said the army will "impose security and get things back to normal, whatever the price," and warned that the conflict may drive oil companies away. BP Plc halted exploration and Norway's Statoil ASA closed its Tripoli office.

Libya, holder of Africa's largest oil reserves, is the latest country in the region to be rocked by protests ignited by the ouster of Tunisia's president last month and energized by the fall of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 11. Violence has flared in Yemen, Djibouti, Iran and Bahrain as governments sought to crack down on demands for change.

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