Tripoli, Lebanon ? The United States and Arab allies rushed military aid Friday to Lebanon, boosting its strength ahead of a possible army assault to crush al-Qaida-inspired Islamic militants barricaded in a Palestinian refugee camp.

The U.S. aid is sensitive in a nation deeply divided between supporters of a pro-Western government and an opposition backed by America’s Mideast foes, Iran and Syria. The opposition, led by the Shiite Hezbollah, accuses the government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora of being too closely allied to Washington.

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah warned that Lebanon was being dragged into a U.S. war against al-Qaida that would destabilize the country. He warned the military against assaulting the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp, calling instead for a negotiated solution.

“Does it concern us that we start a conflict with al-Qaida in Lebanon and consequently attract members and fighters of al-Qaida from all over the world to Lebanon to conduct their battle with the Lebanese army and the rest of the Lebanese?” he said in a televised address.

Palestinian factions were scrambling to find a negotiated solution to end the siege and avert what many fear would be a bloody battle over Nahr el-Bared, where thousands of civilians remain in the line of fire.

Defense Minister Elias Murr said he was “leaving room for political negotiations,” which he said must lead to the surrender of the fighters from the Fatah Islam militant group inside the camp.

“If the political negotiations fail, I leave it to the military command to do what is necessary,” he said.

The military was gearing up for a fight, rolling more troops into place around the camp in northern Lebanon, already ringed by hundreds of soldiers backed by artillery and tanks. Fatah Islam has claimed to have more than 500 fighters, armed with automatic weapons, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

At least a dozen more armored carriers and a battle tank were seen headed for the area Friday. In a statement, the military warned the militants: “You have no choice but to surrender.”

Sporadic gunfire at Nahr el-Bared camp kept tensions high, but a truce that has halted three days of heavy artillery and rocket bombardment since Tuesday held.

An all-out assault on the camp would risk sparking unrest and violence elsewhere in the country, where some 400,000 Palestinian refugees live, most in camps that are rife with armed groups.