Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Saida, in southern Lebanon, on Nov. 12, 2022. (Courtesy of Muntasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Violent clashes sparked by a longstanding dispute between two families took place Monday morning in the Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp in Sour, South Lebanon, L'Orient Today's correspondent in the area reported.
A source from one of the Palestinian factions in the camp told L'Orient Today's correspondent that the dispute began when a member of the Chamoun family killed a Safadi family member three years ago. The Chamoun family member was jailed following the killing, but was released on Sunday shortly before he visited his brother at the camp.
The Safadi family reacted on Sunday by firing at the brother's house as they called for his departure from the camp. On Monday, the fight escalated between the two families, with heavy weapons, including hand grenades, being used, according to the source.
Schools and shops in the camp have been closed. The Palestinian factions managed before 11 a.m. to bring the situation under control.
Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, inside of which the Lebanese state has no jurisdiction, often experience armed clashes, sometimes between the Palestinian factions themselves.
Additional reporting by Muntasser Abdallah