Lebanon's army on Saturday pounded a Palestinian refugee camp in renewed heavy clashes following a few days of intermittent fighting. Black smoke billowed from the Nahr el-Bared camp in northern Lebanon where witnesses reported some of the heaviest army shelling since June 1, when the Lebanese army _ using tanks and artillery _ launched an offensive to drive the Fatah Islam fighters from their positions inside the settlement. The army sent heavy reinforcements _ including armored carriers and special combat units _ that were spotted heading toward the camp early Saturday morning. The main road linking Tripoli with the province of Akkar and the Syrian border was closed Saturday for the first time in several days, the Associated Press reported.
