The Lebanese army will end the standoff with the Fatah Al-Islam group in a Palestinian refugee camp within the next 72 hours, a Lebanese military official told the London-based A-Sharq Al-Awsat. The army advanced into Nahr Al-Barid camp on Saturday and has managed to confine the fighting to a very small area within the camp, not exceeding 500 square meters. Members of Fatah Al-Islam, said to be inspired by Al-Qaeda, have been holed up in the camp since May 20. More than 106 Lebanese soldiers have been killed since the fighting began. Four soldiers were killed on Monday.At least 80 Islamist fighters (excluding those found in mass graves awaiting identification) and 20 civilians have been killed in the standoff, which has been described as the worst internal violence since the civil war, which ended in 1990.
During the army’s investigation of senior Fatah Al-Islam member Ahmad Muri, he admitted to liaising with Syrian intelligence services, A-Sharq Al-Awsat quoted "informed sources,” as saying. The Syrian security services knew about Fatah Al-Islam’s plans to attack high-profile targets in Lebanon, he said. The Syrians helped members of the group enter Lebanon from Syria through illegal crossings, he added.