Lebanon resumes shelling of Palestinian refugee camp
01/06/2007 13:21 BEIRUT, June 1 (RIA Novosti) - The Lebanese army bombarded a Palestinian refugee camp in northwest Lebanon Friday with artillery fire, targeting militants allegedly linked to al Qaeda.
The new attack on the Nahr el-Bared camp comes after almost two weeks of intermittent shooting between the Lebanese military and militants of Fatah el-Islam, since the army besieged the camp.
More than 80 people, including soldiers, militants and civilians have died in the violence since May 20.
According to Al Jazeera reports, several dozen tanks and infantry fighting vehicles have gathered at the northern entrance to the camp, suggesting the possibility of a direct assault on Nahr el-Bared.
In line with a 1969 agreement concluded by Arab countries, Lebanon's military has no authority to enter Palestinian camps, where security is maintained by Palestinian police.
Observers say that a direct assault on the camp could complicate relations with the Palestinian Authority, which has some 400,000 refugees living in Lebanon's camps and heat up tensions in other Palestinian refugee camps.
Palestinian peace efforts have so far failed, not least because the largest Palestinian National Authority factions, Fatah and Hamas, are locked in factional violence.
Saudi Arabia has emerged as another important player in the region, mediating a February power-sharing deal between Fatah and Hamas, which held for nearly three months, and most recently pledging financial aid and support for all Palestinians affected by the violence in Lebanese refugee camps.
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