Lebanon's New Threat

By Nicholas Blanford, Scott MacLeod

There's a new obstacle on Lebanon's difficult road to peace: Fatah al-Islam--a Palestinian faction with links to Syria and alleged ties to al-Qaeda--which is accused of bus bombings, bank robberies and attacks on Lebanese soldiers. In late May security forces seeking to rout the group bombarded the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp outside Tripoli. The fighting killed at least 50 soldiers and militants and an unknown number of civilians. It has been the deadliest internal clash since the end of the 15-year civil war in 1990.

The emergence of Fatah al-Islam six months ago fed fears that al-Qaeda was getting a foothold in Lebanon. But Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government has accused Syria of sponsoring the group to sow strife. Syria denies the charge, although the faction recently broke away from a Palestinian organization formed by Syrian authorities in 1983.

Syria, Lebanese officials contend, is attempting to derail U.N. efforts to set up a tribunal that could try Syrian officials implicated in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. If that's true, Lebanon, a year after the Israel-Hizballah war, could experience another scorching summer.