Lebanon bombs militants’ hideout

LEBANESE troops bombed Islamic militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp yesterday, as mediators met senior military officials to discuss a possible ceasefire deal that would disarm the al-Qaida-inspired fighters.

The army unleashed artillery and tank barrages at suspected hideouts of Fatah Islam militants barricaded inside the Nahr el-Bared camp on the outskirts of Tripoli. Plumes of smoke rose from inside the camp and heavy gunfire rang out.

The month-long fighting in Nahr el-Bared comes amid a fierce power struggle between Lebanon’s Western-backed government and the opposition led by the militant Hezbollah group.