Heavy fighting resumes in Nahr El Bared camp – UNRWA situation update (1 June) – UNRWA press release

Situation Report:  24 hours up to 15:30- 01 June, 2007

Heavy fighting resumes in Nahr El Bared camp.

Artillery bombardment intensified in Nahr al-Bared around mid-morning. It was the heaviest daylight artillery fire seen since the start of the campaign to root out Fatah al-Islam  that has been clashng with the Lebanese Army for 13 days.

Clouds of smoke billowed from the camp and across Tripoli. The heavy shelling also ignited fires in the camp. Reports said the militants have barricaded themselves in residential neighborhoods of narrow, winding streets and apartment buildings.

Lebanese soldier was killed by Islamic militants’ sniper fire on Thursday, which raised the death the number of soldiers killed to 32 since the beginning of the fighting between the army and Fatah al-Islam on May 20.

Fatah and Jund Al Sham clashed in Ein El Hilweh camp

On a separate front, members of the Fatah movement and the Islamist Jund al-Sham group exchanged gunfire in Ein el-Hilweh camp, in Saida Area. There was an exchange of small arms fire and grenades that lasted about half an hour at the camp late Thursday.

Situation in the north: Heavy clashes and shelling resumed this morning between the Lebanese Army and the Fatah al-Islam militants.

UNRWA estimates 13 staff members are still inside Nahr el-Bared. No ambulances have been able to enter the camp despite of calls from inside the camp for help.

Humanitarian situation inside Nahr EL Bared remains unchanged. It is estimated that about 6000 families have left the Camp

In Beddawi Camp, all UNRWA installations (other than schools) are operating normally. Tension increased today when the shelling resumed on Nahr El Bared camp. The displaced refugees staged a sit-in inside the camp calling for an end to these hostilities.

So far, a total of 5142 displaced families are in North Lebanon Area (inside and outside Beddawi).

Situation in CLA: All UNRWA installations operating normally. A total of 373 displaced families from Nahr el Bared Camp have arrived in Central Lebanon Area (Beirut)

Situation in Beqaa: All UNRWA operations in Beqaa area are functioning normally. A total of 87 displaced families have arrived in the Beqaa area.

Situation in Tyre: All installations operating normally. A total of 201 displaced families from Nahr el Bared Camp arrived to Tyre area.

Situation in Saida: UNRWA services are operating normally. 342 families displaced from Nahr el-Bared camp arrived in Saida.