TRIPOLI, Lebanon — More Lebanese soldiers died Saturday as the army pressed ahead with an offensive to uproot al-Qaida-inspired militants, pounding their hideouts in a Palestinian refugee camp with artillery, a day after sending tanks and armored vehicles to seize positions in the camp's outer neighborhoods.

Three more soldiers were killed and five wounded Saturday, military officials said, leaving the army with five dead and 15 wounded since the offensive began Friday.

Lebanese security officials said dozens of militants from the Fatah Islam group had been killed or wounded in the fighting since Friday, but the figure could not be independently verified, and a senior militant commander said only two fighters had been wounded since the fighting began.

Abu Hureira, deputy leader of Fatah Islam, conceded his fighters abandoned some positions in the northern end of the Nahr el-Bared camp in a "tactical" withdrawal. But he denied the army was advancing and vowed never to surrender.

"Morale was high. Let them come. We are ready," he said of the army, denying media reports that he and the leader, Shaker Youssef al-Absi were wounded. With the sound of firing clearly heard as he spoke, Abu Hureira said he was on the front line fighting off the army attack and al-Absi was safe in rear positions.

White smoke billowed from the Nahr el-Bared camp in northern Lebanon Saturday as the thud of artillery, mixed with machine gun and automatic rifle fire, rang out in the morning. A black plume of smoke rose at midmorning, but it was not clear what was burning. A lull prevailed during the night after heavy battles Friday, with the army firing flares to monitor militants' movements and sporadically exchanging fire with the gunmen.