The northern entrance of the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, in Southern Lebanon. (Credit: Mountasser Abdallah)
Abu Ayad al-Chaalan, the new Fatah-affiliated security chief in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon, told L'Orient Today on Wednesday that he believes Islamist militant Bilal Badr, "who works with Daesh" (Arabic acronym for the Islamic State terrorist group) was behind the assassination of his predecessor, Abu Ashraf al-Armouchi, who was killed in the camp on Sunday.
Ain al-Hilweh, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp, has since Saturday been the scene of armed clashes between Islamist factions and the Fatah Movement, present in the Baraksat area near the camp's northern entrance.
A ceasefire was announced on Monday evening but was repeatedly violated.
Abu Ayad el-Chaalan, new Fatah-affiliated security chief in the Ain al-Hilweh camp, in his office on August 2, 2023. (Credit: Mountasser Abdallah)
In an exclusive interview with L'Orient Today inside the Ain al-Hilweh camp, Abou Ayad al-Chaalan asserted that "calm is not yet restored" and that a meeting will be held soon to decide on the possible return of displaced families.
Around 350 families have fled the fighting to Saida, near the camp.
An act of revenge
Chaalan accused "extremist Bilal Badr and seven of his men, who work with Daesh, of murdering Abu Ashraf al-Armushi and his comrades."
Four of the former official's bodyguards were also killed in the ambush on Sunday.
"We have evidence of this, and we will present it to the investigative committee whose formation was decided on Tuesday," added Chaalan. "We insist that the killers be handed over."
"The aim of the assassination is to compromise Ain al-Hilweh's security and take revenge against Abou Achraf al-Armouchi, as he was present in many of the battles against the terrorists," said Chaalan. "It was al-Armouchi who drove Bilal Badr out of the Tireh neighborhood several years ago, forcing him to take refuge elsewhere in the camp."
According to Chaalan, the terrorist groups in question reside in the Tawari' neighborhood and include Palestinians, Syrians and Saudis, among others.
Bilal Badr is the long-standing leader of a Palestinian Islamist group in Ain al-Hilweh. In 2018, he announced to his supporters that he moved to Syria to fight the Syrian regime led by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He was previously protected by Osbat al-Ansar, a Salafist jihadist group based in Ain al-Hilweh.
'They are still committing violations'
"In Fatah, we counted seven dead and 45 injured," said Chaalan. He added that significant material damage, particularly to homes, has also been recorded.
According to a report released Monday by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the fighting left 11 people dead and around 40 wounded.
"Calm has not been restored in the camp. They are still committing violations and firing guns from time to time," said Chaalan.
Ceremony in Rachidiyeh
A tribute ceremony in memory of Abu Ashraf al-Armouchi is planned for Wednesday at 6 p.m. The ceremony will take place in the Rachidiyeh camp, near Sour. It is organized on the initiative of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), of which Fatah is a member.
Ain Al-Hilweh is home to over 54,000 registered Palestinian refugees who have been joined in recent years by thousands fleeing the civil war in Syria.
The densely populated camp is regularly the scene of clashes due to both personal disputes and tensions between various Palestinian factions. Saturday's clashes were the deadliest in several years.
