Lebanese army said slated to confiscate weapons from country’s Palestinian refugee camps

Lebanese media reports that the army will start confiscating weapons tonight from the Al-Buss and Burj al-Barajneh refugee camps near Tyre and Beirut respectively.

These camps were established in 1948 when Palestinian refugees arrived in Lebanon, and over the years armed Palestinian groups effectively ruled them, with Lebanese authorities having no control inside.

According to the reports, the move is part of Lebanon’s broader effort to ensure that all weapons are held exclusively by the state, with its main focus being the disarmament of Hezbollah.

The reports in Lebanon note that the step follows cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and the Lebanese government.

While the PA has no direct control over the refugee camps, it retains some influence over them due to the Palestinian identity of their residents.

“Today marks the beginning of the first phase of the process of handing over weapons from inside the Palestinian camps,” Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee chairman Ramez Dimashkieh says in a statement.