Q&A: Crisis in Lebanon

What is going on in Lebanon?

Lebanese troops have resumed their bombardment of a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli, Lebanon's second-largest city, as they try to flush out Fatah al-Islam, an extremist group inspired by al-Qaida.

More than 80 people, including civilians, have so far been killed since clashes between the army and Fatah al-Islam began almost two weeks ago.

How did the fighting start?

It was triggered when security forces raided an apartment in Tripoli following a bank robbery.

Fatah al-Islam fighters then ambushed soldiers around the Nahr el-Bared camp and in Tripoli, killing 27. The embattled Lebanese government under the prime minister, Fouad Siniora, has decided to stamp out Fatah al-Islam once and for all, sparking Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war.

What is Fatah al-Islam?

The group, made up of at least 100 well-armed and highly motivated fighters, emerged in the Nahr el-Bared camp last year.

The militants are a Sunni group who say they will fight on until the "last shot". Their leader, Shaker al-Abassi, is a Palestinian who was sentenced to death in Jordan in his absence for the 2002 killing of a US diplomat.

What are conditions in Nahr el-Bared like?

The militants have barricaded themselves in residential neighborhoods of narrow, winding streets and blocks of flats in what is essentially a shanty town.

Around 25,000 people had left the camp when the Lebanese army and the militants declared a truce - but Nahr al-Bared houses around 31,000, and some remain trapped inside.

Will Lebanese forces enter the camp?

Under a 1969 Arab agreement, Lebanese forces are barred from the 12 Palestinian refugee camps, which were to be policed by the Palestine Liberation Organization guerrillas then setting up bases in Lebanon.

Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon forced out most of the guerrillas and heavy weaponry, leaving the camps in the hands of competing factions that are still allowed to keep their guns. They subsequently became a haven for Islamist militants and wanted criminals because of their status as a no-go area for the Lebanese security forces.

How politically significant is the fighting?

While Fatah al-Islam has little support, the bombardment has angered Palestinians in Lebanon.

Although Palestinians initially opposed the militants, feelings against Lebanese troops are running high. Palestinian officials fear the violence will spread to the other camps, which house around 400,000 Palestinians whose families fled Israel during the war of 1948.

It would take little to stir up trouble. Conditions in the camps are poor, and there are few health and social services. Refugees are banned from working in more than 70 professions in Lebanon, so unemployment is high.

Is the Lebanese government in crisis?

Palestinian unrest is the last thing the government needs - it is in the throes of a long-running political crisis. The Hizbullah-backed opposition has been campaigning for the resignation of Mr Siniora's government for months.

Why does the Lebanese government blame Syria for the latest fighting?

The Siniora government has been pressing the UN security council to create a special tribunal to try those suspected of involvement in the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri, the billionaire businessman who was the architect of Lebanon's reconstruction after the civil war.

In a landmark decision on Wednesday, the council established the tribunal, with China and Russia abstaining. UN investigators have identified murder suspects close to the top of Syria's security network.

Is the fighting linked to the tribunal?

Syria has said it will refuse to cooperate with Hariri tribunal and yesterday reacted angrily to the UN vote, calling the tribunal "political, not criminal." Its Lebanese allies, such as Hizbullah, have warned of trouble if the UN goes ahead with it.

Analysts believe Syria is giving the Lebanese government a taste of things to come by supporting Fatah al-Islam. The Nahr el-Bared camp lies only 10 miles from the border with Syria, so it is plausible that the militant group is getting supplies from the Syrians. Two recent bomb explosions in Beirut have compounded the sense of instability in Lebanon.

What does Syria say?

It rejects Fatah al-Islam on the grounds that it does not serve the Palestinian cause, and also argues that the UN tribunal is being used by the US to undermine Syria and will only destabilize Lebanon.

Syria controlled Lebanon for 30 years until 2005, when its troops were forced to withdraw following the Hariri assassination.