The Arab League's decision lays the groundwork for foreign powers to consider a no-fly zone over Libya. The league also reportedly decided to recognise a rebel council as the representative of the Libyan people.

The decision, announced on Egyptian state television, ends weeks of debate among Arab nations, overcoming widespread resistance to the idea of foreign intervention in an Arab member state.

Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from the capital Cairo, puts the decision into perspective.