TRIPOLI, Lebanon, May 26 (UPI) -- The head of Hezbollah in Lebanon says the Lebanese army must not enter the refugee camp near Tripoli where soldiers have been battling Islamic militants.
Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah also criticized the militants of Fatah al-Islam, who now occupy the Palestinian camp. In a televised address Friday night, Nasrallah said the militants' aggression against the Lebanese army was an aggression against all of Lebanon.
Hezbollah, a Shiite group, views extremist Sunni groups such as al-Qaida and Fatah al-Islam as enemies, CNN reported.
Nasrallah said a negotiated political settlement according to the rule of law should be reached to preserve the integrity of the Lebanese army. The Lebanese military remains out of the Palestinian refugee camps under a 1969 agreement that allows the Palestinians to operate the camps.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said he considers the battle part of the war on terrorism, not a conflict between Lebanon and the Palestinians. "To the contrary, I believe strongly that this war is targeting Lebanon on the one hand and the Palestinians on the other," Siniora told CNN.
