SIDON, Lebanon: On the eve of the anniversary of the founding of the Fatah Movement, an anonymous perpetrator lodged late Tuesday two hand grenades in the southern refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh, as tensions soar between rival factions of the camp.
According to a security source, the two grenades were lodged near the Souq al-Khodar neighborhood of the camp.
The attack led to no casualties.
Ain al-Hilweh’s elite security force beefed up security measures around the area and launched an investigation in an attempt to reveal to the identity of the perpetrator.
Security sources said that Tuesday’s blasts marked the latest incident related to soaring tensions between old allies who have become rivals in the camp.
The relationship between Fatah and former leader of the Palestinian Armed Struggle (PAS) Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Abdel Hamid Issa, better known by his nom de guerre “Lino,” has been deteriorating since the latter was dismissed over remarks made about the movement.
Tensions were renewed recently when Lino said that in an effort to demonstrate he was still a “son of the movement” he was going to hold his own military show in Ain al-Hilweh Wednesday to mark the group’s founding, at the same time as the Fatah Movement.
Meanwhile, the Fatah Movement is calling for a unified military show, rejecting any separate commemoration organized by Lino.
Lino is said to be loyal to former top Fatah official in Gaza Mohammad Dahlan, who was also expelled from the party over graft charges.
Dahlan is a longtime rival of Abbas, whose supporters accused him of orchestrating Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s murder.
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