More arms reach Lebanon

Nahr Al-Bared, Lebanon: The United States sent more ammunition on Saturday to Lebanon, whose army is
struggling to defeat a group of heavily armed Islamist militants holed up inside a Palestinian refugee camp.

Three US Air Force cargo planes landed at Beirut's airport and unloaded ammunition and other equipment for
the army, airport sources said. Six planes carrying similar
military aid from the US and Arab allies arrived on Friday.

The shipments, promised months ago but rushed after fighting erupted between the army and Fatah Al Islam on May 20, arrived as Lebanese soldiers beefed up their positions around Nahr Al Bared camp, the militants' main base.

Fatah Al Islam has claimed to have over 500 fighters with automatic weapons, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, inside the camp.

US arms are a sensitive issue in a nation deeply divided
between supporters of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora's
government and an opposition backed by America's Mideast
foes, Iran and Syria. The Shiite Hezbollah-led opposition
accuses Siniora of having too close ties to Washington.

Prime Minister Siniora rejected opposition criticism over US military aid.

The militant Fatah Al Islam group, which has vowed to fight
to the death, said in a statement the US military supplies
included nerve gas and cluster bombs.

"If they use unconventional weapons against us, we will
respond with unconventional attacks everywhere," said the
statement, read by the group's spokesman Abu Salim Taha.

A Lebanese military spokesman said he had no reaction to
"these false allegations which are not worth commenting on".

Later, a purported leader of Fatah Al Islam issued a new
threat in videotaped message carried on Al Jazeera television.

The group would fight "the Jews, the Americans and their
loyalists", Shaker Al Abssi said, referring to Lebanese leaders.