By ROBERT F WORTH By Robert F. Worth The New York Times TRIPOLI, Lebanon A bomb hidden in a briefcase tore through a bus packed with Lebanese army soldiers on their way to work Wednesday morning, killing 18 people, including nine soldiers, and wounding more than 40 people.

BEIRUT, Lebanon _ A bomb blast near a moving U.S.

Text of report in English by Lebanese newspaper Th

Lebanese soldiers searched through devastated buildings and scorched bushes along the Mediterranean coastline in northern Lebanon Monday, hunting for fugitives a day after the army crushed the remnants of a militant group and ended a three-month siege at a Palestinian refugee camp.

The Lebanese army announced Sunday it had taken control of a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon. Officials said 37 Fatah al-Islam fighters were killed this weekend when militants attempted to escape from the Nahr al-Bared camp, the BBC reported.