BEIRUT: Lebanon received supplies of US ammunition on Friday, security sources said, as the Lebanese army battles Islamist militants in the north of the country. The Lebanese government had requested more military aid from Washington after the eruption of fighting between the army and Fatah al-Islam militant group this week. Three military supply planes arrived at Beirut airport overnight, witnesses said.

Security sources said the United States had notified the army that the supplies would be arriving after the start of the fighting, Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war. The supplies had been agreed between the Lebanese government and the US administration during a visit to Washington by Lebanese Defence Minister Elias al-Murr earlier this year, the sources said.—Reuters