2007年VOA标准英语-Lebanese Army Clashes With Militants in 2nd Pal

By Margaret Besheer
Beirut
04 June 2007

Lebanese troops continued fighting Islamic militants¹ in a northern Palestinian refugee camp and clashed with another group in a southern camp Monday. The new violence has sparked concerns that the fighting that began three weeks ago in the northern camp could spread to more of Lebanon's 12 refugee camps. From Beirut, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.

Palestinian child sleeps near family who fled Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp, 04 Jun 2007

As the Lebanese Army kept up its offensive against Fatah al-Islam militants near the northern city of Tripoli, a new front was opened about 100 kilometers to the south.

Gun battles first flared² Sunday evening in the southern city of Sidon, near Ein al-Hilweh, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp, after militants from another group, Jund al-Sham, threw a hand grenade at an army checkpoint wounding five people.

Sporadic³ fighting continued overnight and resumed briefly⁴ Monday. Authorities say two Lebanese soldiers and two militants were killed in the clashes.

Sidon's residents stayed indoors and the city's usually bustling⁵ streets were quiet as many shops closed for the day.

Concerns have been high that fighting would spread to one or more of Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps since the army took on Islamic militants at the northern Nahr el-Bared camp 16 days ago. Fighting at that camp has displaced thousands of Palestinians who have relocated to some of the country's 11 other refugee camps.

Lebanese parliament member from Sidon, Bahia Hariri, said Palestinian officials and the Lebanese army are working to quickly contain the situation.

Hariri told Lebanese television that there is a Lebanese-Palestinian decision not to let this escalate⁶ because it would have severe repercussions⁷ for both sides.

On Monday, Fatah al-Islam deputy commander Abu Hureira told the Associated Press his group would spread its battle with the Lebanese army to the southern Ein el-Hilweh camp. About 200,000 refugees live at Ein el-Hilweh.

Meanwhile, at Nahr el-Bared, the army continued its assault on Fatah al-Islam, cautiously advancing on the militants' positions inside the camp.

In a telephone interview Sunday, Fatah al-Islam spokesman Abu Salim Taha claimed his fighters are well-prepared and can continue fighting the army for a couple of months.

More than 40 Lebanese troops and an estimated 60 militants have been killed since the fighting erupted last month at Nahr el-Bared. About 20 civilians⁸ are also believed to have been killed in the clashes.

1 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

2 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

3 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

4 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

5 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

6 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

7 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。