Lebanese PM calls Abbas, warns troops could intervene to stop refugee camp clashes

By AP 3 August 2023, 2:57 pm

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Empty bullet cartridges are seen lying on the road during a third day of clashes that erupted between members of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah group and Islamist factions in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh near the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, July 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister called the Palestinian Authority president to demand an end to the volatile situation in the country’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, warning that Lebanese troops may intervene to stop the fighting that has left dozens dead and wounded.

Najib Mikati’s call with PA President Mahmoud Abbas came after days of sporadic clashes between Palestinian factions in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp near the southern port city of Sidon.

Mikati calls the fighting a “flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty” and says it was unacceptable for the warring Palestinian groups to “terrorize the Lebanese, especially the people of the south who have embraced the Palestinians for many years,” according to a statement released by his office.

His call came as cautious calm returned to the camp and surrounding area after a night of renewed clashes.

Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, which is home to about 50,000 people, has been rocked since Sunday by fierce battles between Abbas’s Fatah party and Islamist groups Jund al Sham and Shabab al Muslim.