The Lebanese army receives weapons from Palestinian camps.

Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special

Arabian Gulf - Agence France-Presse: The Lebanese army is completing the process of receiving weapons from Palestinian camps, according to what it announced, as part of a plan that began to be implemented after it was approved by the Lebanese and Palestinian sides during the visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Beirut. The Lebanese army said yesterday, Saturday, that it had received a shipment of 8 trucks of weapons from factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization. In a statement, it explained that it had received a shipment of 5 trucks of weapons from the Ain al-Hilweh camp in Sidon and 3 trucks from the Beddawi camp in Tripoli. The handover process included "various types of weapons, shells, and ammunition." On Friday, the Lebanese army announced that it had received a shipment of 8 trucks of weapons from factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization from the Ain al-Hilweh camp in the south and the Beddawi camp in the north, as a continuation of an operation it began in August. The army explained in a statement that it had received a shipment of 5 trucks of weapons from the Ain al-Hilweh camp in Sidon, and 3 trucks from the Beddawi camp in Tripoli. It said, "The handover process included various types of weapons, shells, and ammunition." Lebanese army vehicles and personnel were deployed around the Ain al-Hilweh camp near the city of Sidon, south of Beirut. This camp is the largest of the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and houses individuals wanted by the Lebanese authorities. For his part, the Director of Public Relations and Media in the Palestinian Security Forces in Lebanon, Abdel Hadi Al-Asadi, confirmed the handover of weapons. In a statement, he said that "the National Security Forces completed yesterday, Saturday, the process of handing over new batches of Palestinian weapons belonging to the factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization." The handover process on Saturday comes as a continuation of a plan that began to be implemented in August, after it was approved by the Lebanese and Palestinian sides during the visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Beirut in May. The Palestinian factions are responsible for security inside the camps, which the Lebanese army refrains from entering. The army had previously received weapons from Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut and southern Lebanon. Fatah is the most prominent component of the PLO, which does not include Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Meanwhile, factions not affiliated with the PLO, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have not yet announced the handover of any weapons to the Lebanese army. The Palestinian Authority also does not control the decision of all armed Palestinian factions in the camps of Lebanon, especially Hamas. The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, affiliated with the Prime Minister's Office, which is following up on the weapons handover process, announced in a statement on Saturday that it is continuing "its meetings with various Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, within the framework of following up on the conditions of the camps and emphasizing the Lebanese state's firm orientation to extend its sovereignty over all its territory."