Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed that Palestinian factions will not use Lebanon as a launchpad for attacks against Israel during a meeting in Beirut. The deal aims to remove weapons from 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, which are currently under the control of various militant groups.
The agreement comes after a wave of airstrikes by Israel on southern Lebanon in March, which targeted suspected Hamas militants. Since then, nearly 10 suspects have been arrested and three Hamas militants have surrendered.
Lebanese authorities seek to establish authority throughout the country, particularly in the south near the border with Israel, following a 14-month conflict that ended in November. The Palestinian refugee camps are home to tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of whom are descendants of families who fled to Lebanon after Israel’s creation in 1948.
The agreement includes a commitment from Abbas’ Fatah movement and Hamas group not to use Lebanese territories for military operations. However, it is unclear how the weapons will be removed from the camps, which have been plagued by rival groups and clashes in recent years.
A joint statement issued after the meeting said that both sides agreed on the importance of removing weapons outside the control of the Lebanese state. The statement also emphasized that Palestinian camps in Lebanon are not “safe havens for extremist groups.”
Source: https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-palestinians-aoun-abbas-hamas-weapons-camps-757c46e7cddd4c1053f19cd9c02d064e