Lebanon Moves Ahead with Disarming Palestinian Camps

(MENAFN) Lebanon on Saturday initiated the fourth phase of its strategy to seize weapons from Palestinian refugee settlements, according to local press accounts.

The military commenced the handover process in the Beddawi camp in northern Lebanon and the Ain al-Hilweh camp near the southern city of Sidon, a daily newspaper reported.

Security forces reinforced measures around the sites during the operation.

This campaign comes after prior stages in which the army took possession of weapons from various camps: Burj al-Barajneh in Beirut’s southern outskirts on Aug. 21; Rashidieh, Al-Buss, and Burj al-Shamali close to Tyre on Aug. 28; and Burj al-Barajneh, Mar Elias, and Shatila on Aug. 29.

In August, Lebanon’s Cabinet resolved that all arms, including those possessed by Hezbollah, must be confined to the authority of the state.

The armed forces were instructed to prepare a roadmap by the end of August and to put it into effect before the conclusion of 2025.

Nevertheless, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem declared that the movement would not surrender its arsenal unless Israel evacuated occupied Lebanese lands, ended its hostilities, freed detainees, and reconstruction efforts commenced.

A truce was established in November 2024 after months of cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September 2024.

According to the ceasefire terms, Israel was expected to completely pull out from southern Lebanon by January, yet it only carried out a partial withdrawal and continues to maintain military positions at five frontier outposts.

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