Muammar Gaddafi's compound in capital Tripoli was pummeled with rocket attacks on Thursday that killed at least two people, even as speculation is rife that NATO could be gunning for the besieged leader in a bid to end the war.

CNN reported that Libyan officials took journalists near the site of the blast and that at least two dead bodies were at a nearby hospital. The latest NATO attacks took place hours after a defiant Gaddafi made a television appearance from an undisclosed location.

Gaddafi had not publicly appeared since the NATO attack on April 30 that killed his son and grandchildren, fuelling speculation that he was injured in the attack or probably even killed.

The National Post said in a report on Wednesday that the NATO leaders may have decided that the quickest way to end the war was to eliminate Gaddafi.

Though they repeatedly deny it, saying they merely want to degrade the regime’s ability to attack civilians, NATO air raids are increasingly seeking out command and control targets that might also double as convenient hiding places for Col. Gaddafi and top aides, the report said.

Recent NATO attacks which killed Seif Al-Gaddafi and possibly targeted the leader himself corroborate the argument that NATO's aim could be Gaddafi.

Rumors were rife early this week about Gaddafi's status when an Italian general said there appeared to be no evidence that Gaddafi was alive. “We don’t have any evidence [whether Col. Gaddafi is alive or dead]. We don’t know what Gaddafi is doing right now,” Brigadier General Claudio Gabellini told reporters, according to La Stampa.

NATO however, has insisted that it is not targeting individuals.

Libya