"The bombing did not stop ... Baghdad did not sleep last night," said the channel's correspondent.

But at 7:00 am (0300 GMT), a relative calm had descended on the city, which was engulfed in clouds of smoke. But unlike other days, few people ventured onto the streets to go to work and only a few cars were seen on the two main bridges that cross the Tigris.

The channel had said earlier strong explosions and anti-aircraft fire were heard at 4:45 am (0045 GMT) in Baghdad's center but could not say what the targets were.

Earlier, fireballs could be seen from Baghdad's southwestern outskirts, site of the airport US forces said they have captured, as warplanes roared overhead, according to an AFP reporter in Baghdad.

Bombs or missiles could be heard pounding Baghdad's outskirts relentlessly.

Coalition forces seemed also to have targeted a particular site in the capital's southeastern suburbs, from where a massive plume of smoke shot up into the sky. It was not clear what was hit.

On Friday night, a missile crashed into central Baghdad and a plane overflew the capital and drew heavy anti-aircraft fire.

The missile struck the heart of Baghdad minutes after the southeastern suburbs came under intensive bombing, sending red streaks into the night sky.

President Saddam Hussein earlier called on Baghdad residents in a televised address to resist US forces closing in on the city, after the US military said it had seized Baghdad's international airport.

Information Minister Mohammed Said al-Sahhaf issued an ominous warning that Iraq would carry out a "not conventional" attack later against US troops he said were "isolated" at the airport.

SPACE.WIRE