News In Brief

Druze said to overwhelm a Sunni militia in Beirut

Druze Muslim fighters crushed a Sunni Muslim militia in three hours of street fighting in Beirut Thursday, accusing it of trying to revive a Palestinian military presence in the Lebanese capital against the wishes of the vast majority of Lebanese civilians.

The Murabitoun lost all its positions in the capital after pre-dawn raids in which at least three militiamen were killed and 10 wounded.

The Druze Progressive Socialist Party, one of the two dominant groups in the Western sector, said it carried out the operation to stop the Murabitoun from undermining security and violating a cease-fire. Druze officials said they captured about 150 of the 600 or so fighters in the militia, including many Palestinians.