BENGHAZI, Libya -Libya declared an immediate cease-fire and promised to stop military operations Friday in a bid to fend off international military intervention after the UN authorized a no-fly zone and "all necessary measures" to prevent the regime from striking its own people.

The announcement followed a fierce attack by Gadhafi's forces against Misrata, the last rebel-held city in the western half of the country. The UN Security Council resolution, which was passed late Thursday after weeks of deliberation, set the stage for air strikes, a no-fly zone and other military measures short of a ground invasion.

China said on Friday it has "serious reservations" about the resolution, but "in light of the concerns and stance of the Arab countries and African Union and the special circumstances that currently apply in Libya, China and other countries did not block the passing of the resolution," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.

China and some other countries worry that the resolution will lead to further deterioration of Libya's situation and induce more violence, He Wenping, chief of African studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China Daily. "There are concerns about the effect of outside forces on what should be domestic affairs. China and Russia's stance are very clear and they oppose military actions. Germany also worries that such actions could lead to a large-scale war," she said.

Earlier on Thursday, ambassadors met in a closed meeting to review the draft resolution that aims to establish the no-fly zone backed by the Arab League. Right after the vote, Li Baodong, Chinese permanent representative to the UN and the president of the Security Council for March, said in a statement that "China is concerned over the worsening situation in Libya".

He said the country supports the Security Council in taking appropriate and necessary action to stabilize the situation in Libya and put an end to the acts of violence against civilians at an early date. Li said that during the council's consultations, China and some other council members raised specific issues.

However, "there is no clarification or answer to many of these issues," he said.

Meanwhile Chinese and Russian envoys said the resolution's backers failed to explain adequately how the no-fly zone would work and what the rules of engagement would be, Reuters reported.

"China attaches great importance to the decision made by the 22-member Arab League on the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya," Li said. The country also attaches great importance to the positions of African countries and the African Union, and supports the special envoy of the UN secretary-general to Libya, he said.

The UN Security Council should seek to "resolve the current Libyan crisis through dialogue and other peaceful means. We oppose the use of military force in international relations and have serious reservations about some of the content in the resolution", China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

China and Russia are two of the five permanent members that have veto power on the council.

Zhang Yuwei in New York, Ai Yang in Beijing, AFP and AP contributed to this story