BEIRUT, June 6, 2007 (AFP) - Two journalists working for Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite television were detained by the Lebanese army on Wednesday after live coverage of army battles with Islamists, security sources said.

Palestinian reporter Wael Issam and Lebanese cameraman Mahmud Mahfuz were detained around the area of Nahr al-Bared where the fighting has been ranging since May 20, they said.

One source said the two had "infiltrated without permission to the frontline, putting themselves and the army in danger with live coverage."

Issam was seen on Al-Arabiya broadcasting live coverage from inside a room in a building apparently outside Nahr al-Bared, with several soldiers shooting from the windows.

Al-Arabiya confirmed in a scrolling caption that Issam was detained.

The army has been battling Islamist extremists in Nahr al-Bared for 18 days but the camp has been off-limits to journalists who are kept at a distance by the military.

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