The World : S. Lebanon Death Toll at 51

Rival Shia Muslim militias fought for the third day in a struggle for dominance in southern Lebanon. Police put the three-day toll at 51 dead and 130 wounded as Syrian-backed Amal militia members battled for control of the coastal town of Ghazieh, a key stronghold of Hezbollah (Party of God), which is backed by Iran. A police spokesman said Amal units with armored personnel carriers advanced about noon into Ghazieh, capturing the village by nightfall after “ferocious house-to-house fighting.” The two sides also exchanged mortar, rocket and machine-gun fire along the main coastal road south of Sidon and fought street battles in the market town of Nabatiyeh.