If the towns fall to the rebels, they would have Tripoli surrounded by land, with Nato blocking sea access.
In comments broadcast on Libyan TV, Col Muammar Gaddafi called on supporters "to get ready for the fight".
A spokesman for his government said both Zawiya and Gharyan remained "under our full control".
Col Gaddafi's short speech was his first public address since the rebels launched their offensive around Tripoli.
"Move forward, challenge, pick up your weapons, go to the fight for liberating Libya inch by inch from the traitors and from Nato," he said, in a statement in poor-quality audio early on Monday, described as live by Libyan TV.
There were unconfirmed reports, carried by the Reuters news agency, of a meeting between Col Gaddafi's representatives and rebels on the Tunisian island of Djerba.
Decisive moment
Foreign correspondents in Zawiya reported battles continuing between rebels and government forces a day after rebels pushed into the town in a dramatic advance.
Rebel fighters raised their red, green and black flag over the central market on Sunday, but gunshots and explosions could be heard in the town.
The rebels said pro-Gaddafi gunmen were sited on high buildings shooting at them.
Zawiya controls the main road west from Tripoli to the Tunisia - a key supply route for Col Gaddafi's forces.
Zawiya's oil refinery - the only one in western Libya - also supplies his forces with most of their fuel.
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