SIDON, Lebanon: Brig. Ali Shahrour, Chief of the Lebanese Army’s Intelligence Branch in the south, used harsh words in a weekend meeting with Palestinian officials, demanding they contain the security situation in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, political sources told The Daily Star. The Higher Palestinian Security Committee met with Shahrour at the Mohammad Zogheib Military Barracks in Sidon, after a member of the Resistance Brigades was killed in the camp last week.
Marwan Issa, a member of the Hezbollah-linked group, was found dead last Sunday. It is believed that he was in Ain al-Hilweh to complete an arms deal with Khaled Kaawash, a Palestinian national, and Rabih Serhal, a Syrian.
The two men have been turned over to Lebanese authorities, but two others, Shabab al-Muslim members Mohammad and Haitham al-Shaabi, are suspected of involvement.
Many of Shabab al-Muslim’s members, which include adherents of the extremist groups Fatah al-Islam and Jund al-Sham, reside in the Tawari quarter, located on the edge of the camp next to Taamir Ain al-Hilweh
Shahrour warned the committee that continued outbreaks of violence could put the stability of the camp at risk.
“Shahrour told us that the Ain al-Hilweh camp is a volcano that could erupt at any time,” said a source familiar with the content of the talks.
Shahrour told those present that assaults on members of the Hezbollah-linked Resistance Brigades were no longer acceptable, and that it was no longer possible to remain silent on their occurrence. Other members of the Resistance Brigades have reportedly met the same fate as Issa.
Shahrour said that statements of condemnation are no longer enough. “We will not allow for any fault after today – look at what happened to Tripoli,” a source said, quoting Shahrour. “It’s no longer acceptable to mess with Lebanon’s security.”
The committee was told they must save their camp before it’s too late.
“We want Mohammad Shaabi and his brother Haitham,” Shahrour told those present, according to sources. “You have to uproot these takfiri groups.”
The committee announced Friday that it will implement new security measures, erecting new checkpoints and boosting the numbers of the joint elite force from 225 to 375.
The measures, which are expected to be implemented from Tuesday, will focus on Ain al-Hilweh’s Tahtani Street and the borders of the Tawari neighborhood.
The joint elite force is expected to strengthen the Kifah checkpoint in the Tahtani neighborhood and the checkpoint at the Tawari entrance. The measures are part of an attempt to isolate Shabab al-Muslim from the heart of Ain al-Hilweh.
Palestinian sources fear that clashes could result if Shabab al-Muslim is besieged or prevented from communicating with the rest of the camp, encircled by the joint Palestinian force and the Lebanese Army in Taamir.
Shabab al-Muslim informed the Higher Palestinian Security Committee Monday that they will not allow for the installation of new checkpoints or the reinforcement of others and they will not allow themselves to be besieged. They said their members are currently on alert.
However, the door for negotiations with the group reportedly remains open.
After meeting with Shahrour, the Higher Palestinian Security Committee held a meeting Sunday at the camp headquarters of Palestinian National Security, headed by Maj. Gen. Sobhi Abu Arab. Various Islamic and nationalist factions participated.
Those present discussed how to implement the new measures on the ground, in order to put an end to killings and security incidents in the camp, of which Issa’s death is just the most recent example.
Salah Youssef, a member of the Palestine Liberation Front, said the committee has decided upon a series of measures to protect the camp.
“Today all lights are focused on Ain al-Hilweh, especially after the death of the brother Marwan Issa,” Youssef said. He added that the investigation into Issa’s death is ongoing and confirmed that camp checkpoints would be strengthened.
“Ain al-Hilweh will not be a safe haven for any terrorist group that can [jeopardize] Lebanon’s security and stability.”
Palestinian sources told The Daily Star that there are additional measures the joint elite force could consider besides isolating Shabab al-Muslim in Tawari. The Palestinian force could declare the neighborhood no longer be part of the camp, turning over responsibility for its security to the Lebanese military.
Osbat al-Ansar, an Islamist group present in Tawari, has condemned Issa’s murder, and has said it will move out of the neighborhood if clashes begin. But security could prove more difficulty to enforce in neighborhoods located further inside the camp, such as Safsaf, Sikah and Hittin.
The joint elite force could also increase public pressure to find the Shaabi brothers by highlighting the dangers they pose to the camp and its fragile security situation. Both a limited operation to find the men and a wider operation to take over the Tawari neighborhood completely are reportedly being considered. Both carry a risk of exacerbating the security situation even further.
Sources expressed fear that Hezbollah could take a lead role in any such operation, mobilizing members of the Brigades and Ansar Allah in Taamir and the rest of the camp, which could precipitate more violence between Ain al-Hilweh’s armed groups.
Speaking Saturday, the deputy head of the Hezbollah’s’ executive council, Nabil Qaouk, described Issa’s murder as an attack on the Lebanese resistance.
Sources said that they were concerned the situation could deteriorate into an episode reminiscent of the Abra clashes in the summer of 2013. There is a fear the Lebanese Army could be attacked from the Tawari neighborhood or from within the camp itself, prompting a military campaign to uproot the area’s armed groups.
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