WASHINGTON - US media on Monday quoted defense officials as saying the Libyan government forces have fired the first Scud missile in its conflict with rebel forces.

The report said the missile launch was detected by US forces participating in the NATO mission in Libya shortly after midnight Sunday. The Scud landed in the desert about 50 miles outside Brega, a strategic port on the Mediterranean coast Southeast of Tripoli.

The control of Brega has shifted back and forth between government forces and rebels throughout the conflict. The report quoted anonymous officials as saying they cannot determine whether this was a one-off incident or signals a new phase of fighting in Libya.