Lebanon: deadly fighting between rival Palestinian factions in Ain el-Heloue camp

2023-09-11T21:52:11.228Z

Highlights: At least ten people have been killed and a hundred others wounded in the past 48 hours in the camp of Ain el-Helou, 40 kilometers south of Beirut. Despite the announcement of an "immediate" ceasefire brokered by Lebanese General Security, fighting continued Monday night. Mortars, rockets and large-calibre automatic weapons are being used. Hundreds of families fleeing the clashes have taken refuge in basements, mosques and schools in Saida and surrounding communities. Fatah is demanding that Islamist groups hand over suspects responsible for the assassination of one of its leaders in July.

At least ten people have been killed and a hundred others wounded in the past 48 hours in heavy fighting between rival Palestinian factions in the camp of Ain el-Helou, 40 kilometers away.

Lebanon: deadly fighting between rival Palestinian factions in Ain el-Heloue camp

At least ten people have been killed and a hundred injured in the past 48 hours in heavy fighting between rival Palestinian factions in the Ain el-Helouh camp, 40 kilometers south of Beirut.

A Lebanese soldier at the entrance to the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Heloué, September 10, 2023. AP - Bilal Hussein

By: RFI Follow

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With our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh

Despite the announcement of an "immediate" ceasefire brokered by Lebanese General Security, fighting continued Monday night between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement and two radical Islamist groups.

Mortars, rockets and large-calibre automatic weapons are being used in the camp, which houses 80,000 Palestinian refugees living on an area of 30 hectares.

Rockets and stray bullets landed on the nearby town of Saida, located three kilometers from Ain el-Helou. Two Lebanese army positions were targeted on the outskirts of the camp where clashes caused extensive damage to homes, businesses and schools run by the UN Office for Palestinian Refugees. Hundreds of families fleeing the clashes have taken refuge in basements, mosques and schools in Saida and surrounding communities.

Fatah, which has sent in reinforcements from other camps in Lebanon, is demanding that Islamist groups hand over suspects responsible for the assassination of one of its leaders in July. This murder had provoked a first outbreak of violence that left dozens dead and injured before a lull that lasted three weeks.

Ain el-Helou is the largest of the twelve Palestinian camps in Lebanon that were established after the arrival of refugees forced to flee during the first Arab-Israeli war, which began after the creation of Israel in 1948. Some 54,000 refugees are crammed there, including radical Islamists and people wanted by the courts.

" READ ALSO Lebanon: deadly clashes continue in the Palestinian camp of Ain el-Helou

Lebanon: deadly fighting between rival Palestinian factions in Ain el-Heloue camp

Lebanon: deadly fighting between rival Palestinian factions in Ain el-Heloue camp

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