Lebanese Army Wants More From U.S.

Heavy black smoke billows in the air from the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared as the army pounds the militants' remaining hideouts with artillery fire, in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007. Fighting at the Palestinian refugee camp shows no sign of ending soon, with dozens of Islamic militants now protected by hiding in the rubble caused by three months of pounding by the Lebanese military. (AP Photo) (AP)

But the dozens of fighters who remain will be tough to uproot, said Walid Sukariya, a retired Lebanese army brigadier.

"They are now fortified in the rubble and below ground. The camp has been transformed into intertwined concrete blocks," said Sukariya. "The rubble is now protecting the fighters from shells, so it's very difficult for the troops to advance and route them out."

He and other experts say only heavy aerial bombardment can do the job. But Lebanon has no fixed-wing aircraft _ only 33 U.S. and French-made helicopters, largely non-combat.

The United Arab Emirates gave Lebanon 10 old French-made Gazelle attack helicopters, but removed their anti-tank missiles before delivering them. The Lebanese army itself stuck machine guns on the aging helicopters.

The army also lacks electronic intelligence gathering and communication equipment, said Timur Goksel, a former spokesman for the U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon who now teaches at the American University in Beirut. Soldiers communicate by mobile telephones with each other.

On Tuesday, Gazelle helicopters struck Fatah Islam hideouts in the camp, destroying an underground shelter, as tanks and artillery continued their bombardment, the state-run National News Agency said.

The fight could drag on, said Goksel.

"From now on, it's going to be a very tedious task," he said. "It's going to finish meter by meter. Now, they're in one-square kilometer or so."

Suleiman's comments Monday appeared to be a signal to the U.S. and Saniora's government to get more support.

Next month, Lebanon's defense minister is expected to head to Moscow for talks, including on military aid _ another pressure on Washington.

Suleiman's comments "could be a message to America that if they don't give us weapons, we'll look for it elsewhere," said Sukariya. "If America refuses to give us, we have to get it, even if from the devil."