Two killed in clashes in Lebanon refugee camp
Two have lost their lives and over a dozen more sustained injuries in violent clashes in Lebanon's largest refugee camp following a failed assassination attempt.
The deadly incident happened in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon on Saturday when gunmen reportedly belonging to the Jund al-Sham militant group attempted to gun down Ashraf al-Armoushi, the Fatah security chief inside the camp, AFP reported.
Armoushi who was attending the funeral of a senior Fatah member escaped the assassination unharmed but one of his bodyguards was killed and another sustained injuries.
There were conflicting reports about the number of casualties.
According to local medical sources, a total of at least 15 people, civilians and non-civilians, were wounded, some critically.
“Two members of Fatah were killed and six other members were wounded in the fighting,” a Fatah official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Some sources, however, mounted the death toll to three people.
The clashes occurred mostly near the camp's northern entrance and turned into street battles and spread panic among civilians residing in the camp. By early evening, however, the warring sides agreed to a ceasefire.
The camp, which is located southeast of the port city of Sidon, had a population of about 70,000 residents before it swelled to nearly double this number as a result of the influx of refugees from the four-year Syrian conflict.
The Lebanese army does not enter the camps, under a tacit deal agreed after the 1975-1990 civil war, and Palestinian factions are responsible for security.
Ain al-Hilweh also houses fighters and militants belonging to various armed groups.
The Fatah movement, which was known in the past as the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The movement has a huge popular base, with thousands of fighters defending the movement and hundreds of politicians supporting it.
Hezbollah strikes occupied Haifa in retaliation for Leader's assassination
Hezbollah offers condolences to Iranian nation over Leader’s martyrdom
Iran: UN Security Council inaction on Israeli crimes ‘catastrophic’
Despite Leader's martyrdom, Islamic Republic firmly in control and punishing the enemy
At least 31 killed in Israeli aggression on southern Lebanon after Hezbollah strikes
Iran writes to UN, warns about dire consequences for perpetrators following Leader's martyrdom
Hezbollah strikes occupied Haifa in retaliation for Leader's assassination
Ansarullah mourns Leader's martyrdom as 'great loss' caused by 'most wretched terrorists'
Hezbollah offers condolences to Iranian nation over Leader’s martyrdom
US-Israeli strike targets IRIB facility; broadcasts continue
IRGC: Latest waves of Op. True Promise 4 led to tanker strikes, base shutdowns, heavy casualties
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
