Palestinian factions in a number of Beirut refugee camps surrendered their weapons to the Lebanese military on Friday, an official mentioned, as the federal government disarms non-state teams.
Ramez Dimashkieh, chairman of the official Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, instructed AFP that “the Palestine Liberation Organisation handed over three truckloads of weapons to the Lebanese military”, together with rockets and heavy weapons.
One truckload got here from the Mar Elias camp and Shatila camps, and two from the Burj al-Barajneh camp in Beirut and its suburbs, he mentioned, including that “this completes the method of handing over” PLO weapons from the Beirut camps.
On the entrance to the Burj al-Barajneh camp, AFP correspondents noticed massive picket crates being moved to a close-by car parking zone the place troopers inspected them earlier than transporting them away, as troops deployed closely to the realm.
The official Nationwide Information Company had earlier reported the arrival of military autos within the camp “to obtain a brand new batch of Palestinian weapons”.
Throughout a go to to Beirut in Might, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun agreed that weapons in Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camps could be handed over to the Lebanese authorities.
The implementation of the deal started final week as Abbas’s Fatah motion surrendered weapons in Burj al-Barajneh camp.
Abbas’s Fatah is essentially the most distinguished PLO faction. Palestinian militant teams Hamas and Islamic Jihad, that are allied to Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, usually are not a part of the organisation.
Dimashkieh mentioned Friday that “there are nonetheless different factions that haven’t surrendered their weapons however the course of has began”.
On Thursday, PLO factions handed over heavy weapons in south Lebanon’s Rashidieh, Al-Bass and Burj al-Shemali camps, the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee mentioned.
The transfer to gather the Palestinian factions’ weapons comes because the Lebanese military attracts up a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the top of the yr.
The plan, which is to be offered to the cupboard by the top of the month, was commissioned by the federal government underneath heavy US strain and amid fears of expanded Israeli navy motion.
Throughout a yr of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that largely ended with a November ceasefire, Palestinian teams together with Hamas claimed rocket hearth in the direction of Israel.
By longstanding conference, the Lebanese military stays out of the Palestinian camps and leaves Palestinian factions to deal with safety.