The Nahr al-Bared refugee camp has come under heavy fire from the Lebanese artillery since May 20 following fighting between Palestinian militants and Lebanese troops in the neighboring town of Tripoli. At least 120 houses have been reduced to rubble and more than half of the camp's 40,000 population forced to leave.
Saudi Arabia "will also help, if necessary, to rebuild all Palestinian camps in Lebanon and will channel more aid to victims of recent events," Abdul Aziz al-Haja said following a meeting Thursday with the Lebanese premier, parliamentary majority leader, and envoy to the Palestinian Liberation Organization in Lebanon.
The exact death toll is unclear. Dozens of militants have been apparently killed, but while Palestinian sources quote up to 19 civilian fatalities, the Lebanese army says only two people have died - one Palestinian and one Lebanese. However, other international media sources are citing much higher figures.
Saudi Arabia has increased its diplomatic activity in the region this year. The latest proposal comes just months after the kingdom mediated a deal between Hamas and Fatah, two Islamist groups in the rival-torn Palestinian Authority, helping create a fragile national unified government, that nonetheless split earlier this month following deep-routed factional distrust.
The United States, UAE and Jordan have meanwhile delivered five planeloads of military aid to the Lebanese army in the wake of the violence. U.S. officials claimed the shipments were made under previous arrangements.
