Lebanon: Political Conflicts Obstruct Ain al-Hilweh Truce

People fleeing the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp
People fleeing the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp
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Lebanon: Political Conflicts Obstruct Ain al-Hilweh Truce

People fleeing the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp
People fleeing the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp

Political conflicts and regional interference obstructed the implementation of a ceasefire in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, where violent clashes between the factions continued for the fourth consecutive day.

The use of rocket-propelled grenades and medium machine guns have forced civilians to flee the area.

Fatah sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the movement was fighting to prevent the emergence of an “Islamic state” in the camp, and to “face attempts to remove the PLO from the Palestinian equation in Lebanon.”

The violence began on Saturday when an unknown gunman tried to kill Palestinian militant Mahmoud Khalil but instead fatally shot his companion. Full-blown clashes erupted Sunday when Islamic militants shot and killed a Palestinian military general from the Fatah group, Abu Ashraf al Armoushi, and three of his escorts.

Around 500 fighters from both sides participated in the clashes, according to field sources in Ain al-Hilweh, using rocket-propelled grenades and medium machine guns.

Sources from Fatah stressed that the organization “is the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,” adding that the movement “has taken upon itself the security of the camps, and will not accept that they turn into hotbeds of extremists.”

The sources also called for the need to hand over the killers of al-Armoushi to the Lebanese judiciary for trial.

“There is a plan to weaken the PLO and find alternatives to it, through regional and international interventions. This is something that has begun to be implemented within the camps, through financing by unknown sides, and the creation of auxiliary institutions,” the Fatah sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Two ceasefire initiatives have so far failed to be implemented. In addition to the efforts of the Lebanese authorities, the Joint Palestinian Action Committee met in Lebanon and stressed the need to prosecute the perpetrators and commit to the ceasefire.

It also called for the immediate withdrawal of militants from the streets, and for providing a safe environment for the return of all families who were displaced from the camp.



Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
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Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters

Over two million Syrians who had fled their homes during their country's war have returned since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said Thursday, ahead of a visit to Syria.

The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 with Assad's brutal repression of anti-government protests, displaced half of the population internally or abroad.

But Assad's December 8 ouster at the hands of Islamist forces sparked hopes of return.

"Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December," Grandi wrote on X during a visit to neighboring Lebanon, which hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, according to official estimates, AFP reported.

It is "a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions," he said.

"This proves that we need political solutions -- not another wave of instability and displacement."

After 14 years of war, many returnees face the reality of finding their homes and property badly damaged or destroyed.

But with the recent lifting of Western sanctions on Syria, new authorities hope for international support to launch reconstruction, which the UN estimates could cost more than $400 billion.

Earlier this month, UNHCR estimated that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million internally displaced persons may return by the end of 2025.