Fighting has resumed at Lebanon’s Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, where authorities are demanding that Fatah al-Islam lay down arms and turn over its leaders. Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr said the group has two choices: “Surrender or the army will take the military option.” Lebanese officials said the navy had sunk two boats carrying fighters escaping from Nahr al-Bared. (AlJazeera, May 24) Sixteen people were wounded in a bomb blast at a popular mountain resort in the Druze town of Aley—the third terrorist bombing in Lebanon in a week. (Press TV, Iran, May 24)
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimates that one third of the 40,000 residents of Nahr al-Bared have fled during the current ceasefire. (The Guardian, May 24) Amnesty International have condemned the Lebanese army for deploying heavy artillery against a heavy-populated area in its operations against Fatah al-Islam. (Reuters, May 23)
See our last post on Lebanon.
