The Libyan side of the Tunisian- Libyan border post of Ras El Jedir has just been manned by forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi following the withdrawal of most of the personnel affected there, the official Tunisian press agency TAP reported Monday.
The report came following reports that the rebels took control on Sunday of the town of Surman near Zaouia, in a bid to cut off Gaddafi forces' main supply line with Tunisia, Xinhua reported.
Traffic considerably decreased over the weekend and on Monday at the main Tunisian-Libyan border crossing as a result of the ongoing fighting between rebels and government forces for the town of Zaouia, some 130 from Ras El Jedir.
The Tunisian army is on high alert to protect the population from the fighting on the Libyan side of the border, TAP said.
On Sunday, TAP quoted a high-level Tunisian security source as saying that the strategic importance of the border post is likely to lead to fierce fighting between rebels and the government forces in the following days.
In a related event, the Tunisian-Emirati military hospital in Ben Guerdane is preparing to host an influx of people injured in the fighting. The hospital has just been equipped with new equipment, enabling it to host 1,500 injured people.