Earlier in the day the Lebanese army began bombarding the Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon, after almost two weeks of intermittent shooting between the Lebanese military and Fatah al-Islam militants embedded in the camp, which started when the army besieged Nahr al-Bared.
Lebanon's ANB television channel said Shaker al-Abbasi, the leader of Fatah al-Islam, was heavily wounded or even possibly killed in the artillery fire.
More than 80 people, including soldiers, militants and civilians have died in the violence since May 20.
Earlier reports from Al Jazeera said that several dozen tanks and infantry fighting vehicles had gathered at the northern entrance to the camp, suggesting the possibility of a direct assault on Nahr al-Bared.
In line with a 1969 agreement concluded by Arab countries, Lebanon's military has no authority to enter Palestinian camps, where security is maintained by Palestinian police.
Observers say that a direct assault on the camp could complicate relations with the Palestinian Authority, which has some 400,000 refugees living in Lebanon's camps, and heat up tensions in other Palestinian refugee camps.
