Hezbollah warns against raiding refugee camp

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah warned Lebanon not to storm a besieged Palestinian refugee camp, calling instead for a negotiated solution.

The United States and Arab allies had earlier rushed military aid to Lebanon, boosting its strength ahead of a possible army assault to crush al Qaida-inspired Islamic militants barricaded in the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp.

In a televised address, Nasrallah said: “Does it concern us that we start a conflict with al Qaida in Lebanon and consequently attract members and fighters of al Qaida from all over the world to Lebanon to conduct their battle with the Lebanese army and the rest of the Lebanese?

The US aid is sensitive in a nation deeply divided between supporters of a pro-Western government and an opposition backed by America’s Mideast foes, Iran and Syria.

The opposition, led by the Shiite Hezbollah, accuses the government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora of being too closely allied to Washington.

Palestinian factions were scrambling to find a negotiated solution to end the siege and avert what many fear would be a bloody battle over Nahr el-Bared, where thousands of civilians remain in the line of fire.

Defence Minister Elias Murr said he was “leaving room for political negotiations”, which he said must lead to the surrender of the fighters from the Fatah Islam militant group inside the camp.

“If the political negotiations fail, I leave it to the military command to do what is necessary,” he told reporters.

The military was gearing up for a fight, rolling more troops into place around the camp in northern Lebanon, already ringed by hundreds of soldiers backed by artillery and tanks.

Fatah Islam has claimed to have over 500 fighters, armed with automatic weapons, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

At least a dozen more armoured carriers and a battle tank were seen headed for the area yesterday.

In a statement, the military warned the militants: “You have no choice but to surrender.”

Sporadic gunfire at Nahr el-Bared camp kept tensions high, but a truce that has halted three days of heavy artillery and rocket bombardment since Tuesday held.

An all-out assault on the camp would risk sparking unrest and violence elsewhere in the country, where some 400,000 Palestinian refugees live, most in camps that are rife with armed groups.

A deputy Fatah Islam leader, Abu Hureira, told the pan-Arab Al Hayat daily by telephone from Nahr el-Bared that “sleeper cells” in other Palestinian camps and elsewhere in Lebanon were awaiting word for a “violent response” if the army struck.

The US military aid could also attract other militants into what they see as a battle against the West and its allies.

Extremist groups were already using the battle at the camp as propaganda.

A group billing itself as al Qaida’s branch in Syria and Lebanon vowed “seas of blood” if the Lebanese army resumes its attack.

In a video posted on the internet yesterday, a spokesman for the group threatened bomb attacks on Lebanon’s vital tourist industry.

Earlier, a Palestinian group called the Army of Islam also threatened attacks. The capabilities of the two groups are not known.

The airlift from the United States and Arab countries boosts the military in what could be a tough urban battle inside the camp, a densely built town of narrow streets.

Between late Thursday and early afternoon yesterday, five military transport planes landed at Beirut airport, including one from the US Air Force, two from the United Arab Emirates and two from Jordan.

The military said it received supplies from Arab countries and the US but gave no details; media reports said they included ammunition, body armour, helmets and night-vision equipment.

US military officials said Washington would send eight planes of supplies, part of a package that had been agreed on but that the Lebanese government asked to be expedited.

“We are expediting deliveries of planned US military assistance to the Lebanese armed forces as well as enlisting the support of international partners to provide additional assistance,” said Dave Foley, a State Department spokesman.

White House spokesman reiterated US support for Saniora’s government.

“The most important thing for us is that the Saniora government be able to continue building itself effectively,” he said.

About half of Nahr el-Bared’s population of 31,000 fled the camp during the truce, flooding into the nearby Beddawi camp.

At least 20 civilians and 30 soldiers were killed in the fighting earlier this week. The Lebanese military says 60 Fatah Islam fighters were killed, though the group put the toll at 10.

The truce also gave Palestinian mediators a chance to manoeuvre.

But prospects for a peaceful settlement appeared dim, with the government determined to finish off the militants, Fatah Islam vowing to fight to the death and major Palestinian factions unable to agree on how to take charge of camp security.