Lebanon: Palestinian Investigations into Ain al-Hilweh Clashes Conclude

A member of the "Fatah" movement in Ain al-Hilweh camp during the clashes last July (AP)
A member of the "Fatah" movement in Ain al-Hilweh camp during the clashes last July (AP)
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Lebanon: Palestinian Investigations into Ain al-Hilweh Clashes Conclude

A member of the "Fatah" movement in Ain al-Hilweh camp during the clashes last July (AP)
A member of the "Fatah" movement in Ain al-Hilweh camp during the clashes last July (AP)

A committee that was formed at the beginning of August to investigate the recent armed incidents in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp has completed its work and submitted its report to the competent authorities.

The committee was in charge of investigating the assassination of the Palestinian National Security Commander, Major General Mohammad al-Armoushi (Abu Ashraf) and his companions, during the clashes in Ain al-Hilweh camp, in addition to the killing of Abdell-Rahman Farhood, who was known for his affiliation with extremists.

The report was submitted to the Joint Palestinian Action Committee in Lebanon, which convened on Tuesday at the Palestinian Embassy in Beirut, in the presence of representatives of the Lebanese Army Command, the Amal Movement and other forces.

An official statement issued at the end of the meeting said that an agreement was reached on the follow-up mechanisms, which would begin with handing over the suspects to the Lebanese judiciary.

Ghassan Ayoub, a member of the Palestinian Joint Action Committee in Lebanon, said that the report included the names of the perpetrators, adding that the participants agreed to support efforts to hand them over to the competent judiciary.

In a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, Ayoub explained that a deadline has been given to the forces concerned with communicating with extremist groups to persuade them to hand over the suspects.

In parallel, an explosion was heard inside the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, located in southern Lebanon, at dawn on Wednesday, caused by a hand grenade, according to the National News Agency (NNA).

While no injuries were reported, Fatah sources inside the camp told Asharq Al-Awsat that the bomb was thrown by the extremists, “with the aim of creating tension, as they feel that they are in an impasse, and that no one is ready to provide them with political cover.”

Ain al-Hilweh witnessed six days of violent fighting between the Fatah movement and extremist Islamist groups. The round of fighting resulted in 12 deaths and more than 65 wounded. Hundreds of families have escaped the camp, while many residents still fear the renewal of clashes at any moment.



Israeli Strikes Hit North Lebanon Crossings with Syria for First Time, Minister Says

 Syrians carry their luggage as they cross on foot into Syria through a crater caused by an Israeli airstrike to cut the road between the Lebanese and the Syrian checkpoints, at the Masnaa crossing, in the eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP)
Syrians carry their luggage as they cross on foot into Syria through a crater caused by an Israeli airstrike to cut the road between the Lebanese and the Syrian checkpoints, at the Masnaa crossing, in the eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP)
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Israeli Strikes Hit North Lebanon Crossings with Syria for First Time, Minister Says

 Syrians carry their luggage as they cross on foot into Syria through a crater caused by an Israeli airstrike to cut the road between the Lebanese and the Syrian checkpoints, at the Masnaa crossing, in the eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP)
Syrians carry their luggage as they cross on foot into Syria through a crater caused by an Israeli airstrike to cut the road between the Lebanese and the Syrian checkpoints, at the Masnaa crossing, in the eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP)

Israeli strikes late on Tuesday targeted Lebanon's three northern border crossings with Syria for the first time, Lebanon's caretaker transport minister Ali Hamieh told Reuters.

The strikes came hours before a ceasefire took effect to halt hostilities between Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Israel.

Hamieh said it was not immediately clear whether the roads had been cut off as a result of the strikes. Israeli raids on Lebanon's eastern crossings in recent weeks had already sealed off those routes into Syria.

Syria's state news agency reported four civilians and two soldiers were killed, and 12 people were wounded including children, women and workers in the Syrian Red Crescent.

The Red Crescent said earlier a volunteer was killed and another was injured in "the aggression that targeted Al-Dabousyeh and Al-Arida crossings ... as they were performing their humanitarian duty of rescuing the wounded early on Wednesday."

The strike damaged several ambulances and work points, it added in a statement.

Syrian state TV reported the Israeli strike hit the Arida and Dabousieh border crossings with Lebanon.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment. It has previously stated that it targets what it says are Iran-linked sites in Syria as part of a broader campaign to curb the influence of Iran and its ally Hezbollah in the region.

Separately, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday that it struck an Iranian-aligned militia weapons storage facility in Syria in response to an Iranian-aligned attack against US forces in the country on Monday.