Demonstrators in the Nahr al-Bared camp, North Lebanon, against a raid by the Lebanese Army in the area, on Oct. 25, 2022. (Courtesy of Michel Hallak)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army has been conducting a series of raids since dawn in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared, in northern Lebanon, in search of weapons and suspects, an army spokesman told L'Orient-Le Jour Monday morning, without specifying what the suspects were wanted for.
Smoke billows over the Nahr al-Bared camp, on Oct. 25, 2022, after protesters burned tires against army raid. (Courtesy of Michel Hallak)
According to information from our correspondent in the North, residents of the camp burned tires at the southern and eastern entrances as well as inside the camp and blocked roads to protest against the searches carried out by the troops.
Reacting to these developments, Palestinian factions and committees in North Lebanon condemned the army raids and announced in a joint statement a general strike in the camp. They also denounced "the military parade of planes, ships and armored vehicles of the army that frighten women, children and the elderly."
According to our correspondent, the army flew helicopters over the camp.
In a statement issued in the afternoon, the army said that units supported by the navy and the air force searched the Nahr al-Bared camp and arrested "nine suspects who are the subject of several arrest warrants for drug trafficking, shooting and murder."
The army added that "assault weapons and ammunition were seized." It concluded that a judicial investigation has been opened and is underway.
Completely destroyed in 2007 after fighting between the Lebanese Army and Sunni Islamists, the Nahr al-Bared camp was partially rebuilt in 2018.
As has been the practice for decades, especially since the 1969 Cairo agreement, the Lebanese Army does not enter the camps and leaves the Palestinian factions to provide their own security. However, there was an exception to this in 2007, when the army launched its assault in the Nahr al-Bared camp against armed militants.
Additional reporting by Michel Hallak