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Explosion rocks Beirut; battles rage near Tripoli

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BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- In Lebanon, an explosion filled the Beirut sky with plumes of black smoke as fighting also continued in the north of the country between Lebanese soldiers and militants at a Palestinian refugee camp.

The blast occured late Monday in a district of Beirut and set vehicles and buildings on fire.

The explosion went off in the Verdun district near the Russian Cultural Center, Lebanese media reported. Several Lebanese politicians, including House Speaker Nabih Berri, live in the mainly upper-class district. (Watch why some think instilling fear is the bombers' motivation )

Ambulances and other security vehicles rushed to the scene, and soldiers could be seen leading wounded people away from the area. Five people were wounded in the blast, according to Lebanese security.

It was the second blast in as many nights in Beirut. A bomb went off late Sunday beneath a car in the Beirut neighborhood of Ashrafieh, killing one woman and wounding several other people, sources said.

Fighting continues near Tripoli

Meanwhile, in the north, Lebanese forces continued to fight members of an Islamic militant group in the second day of fierce gunbattles at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

The government also said there was no cease-fire in place, contrary to some earlier media reports.

The Lebanese Cabinet said it will issue a statement about a specific response to the violence after meeting early in the week. In the meantime, the Cabinet declared its "full support" for military efforts to end the fighting, said Mohamed Chatah, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

"I'm not in a position to tell you the exact manner in which security forces are going to root up these elements, but it's going to happen," Chatah said. "It's going to happen after the security forces themselves advise the government on what they need." (Watch smoke rise over the refugee camp as a fire rages below )

Lebanese security forces are targeting militants and are not randomly shooting into the refugee camp, Chatah said.

The fighting was sparked Sunday when Lebanese Internal Security Forces raided a building in a neighborhood north of Tripoli, army sources said.

Militants from Fatah al-Islam began shooting at the forces, who returned fire, triggering clashes in the vicinity of the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp.

Lebanese Internal Security Forces arrested four militants and found the bodies of 10 militants inside the building where they had barricaded themselves, an ISF spokesman said. Explosives were strapped to two bodies.

Security forces conducted the raid after Fatah al-Islam members tried to rob a bank Sunday and "take control of several security strongholds in the north, as if they were planning to carry out a major security operation," according to Ahmad Fatfat, a member of parliament and a minister in Siniora's Cabinet.

The battle near the camp continued into Monday, killing at least 30 Lebanese soldiers and wounding 39 others. At least 15 militants have been killed in the clashes, security sources said.

Among the dead militants was Saddam al Hajj Dib, the sources said. Dib -- along with his brother, cousin and three other men -- was being tried in absentia in a Lebanese court for plotting to bomb two passenger trains in Germany in July. The bombs did not explode.

"Everybody in Tripoli is just scared," said Maya Halabi, a resident of Tripoli. "We never knew that there are terrorists in our town." (Watch civilians, soldiers scurry as the sound of gunfire fills the streets of Tripoli )

The fighting has left aid agencies hamstrung in their attempts to help the wounded and count the casualties. A U.N. Relief and Works Agency official in London said U.N. staffers are among the wounded.

"They have been unable to move around," said Richard Cook, adding that the agency is attempting to negotiate a cease-fire so food and medical supplies can be delivered to the camp.

Camp conditions 'breeding ground' for militants

Nahr al-Bared is about nine miles (16 kilometers) north of Tripoli, Lebanon's second-largest city that is home to a large population of Sunni Muslims.

The overcrowded camp houses 31,023 registered refugees, according to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency. It is one of 12 Palestinian camps in Lebanon in which the United Nations operates. The agency estimates there are 350,000 refugees in the camps. (Facts on refugee camps)

The living conditions at the camp are partly to blame for the rise of Fatah al-Islam, according to Khalil Makkawi, a former ambassador to the United Nations. (Full story)

It is unclear whether the militant group has ties to al Qaeda.

Though Syria has claimed Fatah al-Islam is connected to the terror group, Lebanese Interior Minister Hasan al-Sabaa has described Fatah al-Islam as "part of the Syrian intelligence-security apparatus," according to Jane's Information Group, which provides analysis on international security matters.

Assassination tribunal

The U.N. Security Council is considering passing a resolution that would enforce the establishment of an international tribunal to try suspects for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

That is an idea unpopular with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has links to Syria. Many people believe Syria was behind the killing.

Conflicts in south Lebanon between Siniora's government and Hezbollah have prevented the creation of a tribunal. Siniora last week reiterated his call for the United Nations to create the international tribunal.

Political sources said the explosion was an attempt by Syria to sow seeds of instability ahead of Security Council deliberations about the tribunal.

The U.S. State Department dismissed any links between this week's violence and efforts to establish the tribunal. A senior State Department official, however, said that Fatah al-Islam may be trying to take advantage of the already-fragile political situation in Lebanon.

CNN's Saad Abedine, Caroline Faraj, Nada Husseini, Elise Labott, Octavia Nasr and Brent Sadler contributed to this report.

Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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