The assault on Brega appeared to be more strategic than vengeful. The area held by pro-government forces on Wednesday consisted of a university, an airport, a wharf and some factories.

Access to the power supply that feeds Benghazi is nearby; so too is an oil refinery and the Sirte Oil Company, where more than 300 foreign nationals were employed before the 17 February revolution.

This does not have the sense of an insulted strongman striking out in fury; rather, it‘s more like a cold, calculated series of moves aimed at changing an equation that a week ago was considered irreversible.