PARIS — World leaders met Saturday in a summit in Paris that could be the final step before immediate international military action against Moammar Gadhafi’s forces in Libya.

The emergency summit of Arab and European leaders, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the U.N. secretary general took place as Gadhafi’s forces swarmed into the one-time rebel stronghold of Benghazi — apparently ignoring a proclaimed cease-fire by Libya’s regime.

The incursion into Benghazi and other cities by Gadhafi’s forces could vastly complicate any international intervention, by allowing the troops to mingle in with the population — making airstrikes against them difficult.

With the leaders meeting in Paris, the international military buildup mounted in the region. Six Danish F-16 fighter jets landed Saturday at the U.S. air base in Sigonella, Sicily and a half-dozen U.S. aircraft arrived at the Aviano base in northern Italy.

French officials have said that they expect military action could begin within hours after the meeting — but the outcome remained uncertain and it was not clear what effect developments on the ground might have.