Lebanon: Several killed in Palestinian refugee camp clashes

Clashes between residents of Lebanon's largest Palestinian camp near the coastal city of Sidon left at least six people dead amid fighting between the Palestinian Fatah group and rival pro-Islamist groups within the camp, Palestinian officials said Sunday.

A Fatah commander and four aides were killed in the clashes. A member of a group sympathetic to hardline Islamists also perished. The killings sparked violence within the camp, which lasted for two days and only subsided late on Sunday.

Ein el-Hilweh hosts some 50,000 Palestinian refugees. It is notorious for its lawlessness, as is believed to be a refuge for extremists and fugitives.

A 1969 Arab Accord prevents the Lebanese army from entering Lebanon's 12 Palestinian refugee camps, which leaves factions to handle security among themselves.

What do we know about the clashes?

Clashes began on Saturday, after an unknown gunman tried to kill an Islamist militant.

The attack prompted Islamist militants to shoot and kill the Fatah military general and four of his aides, which the Palestinian presidency described as a  "heinous massacre and terrorist assassination."

The violence involved assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and the lobbing of hand grenades.

The fighting slowed after a ceasefire was reached in a meeting between rival Palestinian factions. The meeting involved the pro-Iranian, militant Hezbollah group and its Shiite ally, the Amal movement.

In a statement, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged "the Palestinian leadership to cooperate with the army to control the security situation and deliver to the Lebanese authorities those who compromise it."

rmt/jsi (AFP, AP, Reuters)