Lebanese troops stormed a hideout of Islamic militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon on Saturday, killing eight, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Army Commander General Michel Suleiman said the much-awaited final assault against the remaining members of the Fatah Islam group in the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp was imminent.

Fierce fighting erupted Saturday in Nahr el-Bared, with the army pounding Fatah Islam's remaining positions with artillery, tank fire and rocket-propelled grenades, the NNA and witnesses said.

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The five-hour bombardment sent plumes of heavy black smoke billowing in the air, witnesses said. Army units pushed their way into the devastated camp, reaching a section of the settlement known as the old camp, NNA said.

An army commando unit stormed the Amqa neighborhood (in the old camp) and, during the limited clash that ensued, all eight terrorists who were there were killed, the NNA said, referring to Fatah Islam fighters. The report could not be independently confirmed.