Fighting between the Lebanese army and al Qaeda-inspired militants in north Lebanon entered its fourth week today and five soldiers died from wounds sustained in heavy battles the previous day.
The army has now lost 57 soldiers in its conflict with the Fatah al-Islam group, a military source said. At least 42 militants and 31 civilians have also been killed in Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war. "There is tense calm today," the military source said.
The army on Saturday heavily shelled the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp where Fatah al-Islam is based. Sporadic bursts of machinegun fire were heard early today at the camp - home to some 40,000 before the fighting forced thousands to flee, mostly to a nearby Palestinian camp.
The army says the militants triggered the conflict on May 20th by attacking its positions around the camp and on the outskirts of the nearby city of Tripoli.
Fatah al-Islam says it has been acting in self defence and has vowed to fight to the death. A Palestinian source in the camp said at least one civilian was killed on Saturday but the toll could be higher. "He was hit in the chest and bled to death because there were no ambulances," the source said.
Rescue workers have been unable to give an accurate death toll because of the difficulty of moving in the camp - a sprawling warren of alleyways on the Mediterranean. The lull in violence on Sunday allowed rescue workers to remove two bodies from the camp. It was not clear when they were killed or whether they were civilians or militants.