Smoke rises from Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp during Palestinian faction clashes, in Saida, Lebanon Sept. 11, 2023. (Credit: Aziz Taher/Reuters)
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Renewed fighting brought an end to the short-lived ceasefire in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp Wednesday afternoon, bringing the death toll to at least 18 people since Thursday. Despite a brief respite period following Wednesday’s joint call for a ceasefire by Fatah and Hamas, Fatah and the Islamist faction Muslim Youth resumed fighting. Repeated attempts at a ceasefire, including a call for calm from General Security, have failed. The clashes are reportedly centered around Islamists’ refusal to surrender the alleged killers of the Fatah-affiliated security chief. His assassination in late July led to several days of heavily armed clashes that killed at least 13 people and displaced hundreds of families.
United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon Commander Gen. Aroldo Lazaro announced further upcoming tripartite meetings to discuss the delineation of the Lebanese-Israeli land border. "The intention is to continue with the discussions under UNIFIL auspices with the ultimate objective of addressing all issues along the Blue Line," UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told L'Orient Today. The Lebanese Army said the meeting with UNIFIL and Israeli representatives broached 13 disputed border points claimed by Lebanon. Tenenti emphasized the confidentiality of the tripartite discussions, denying rumors circulating in local media. The army similarly denied that any agreement had been reached. Among the disputed points is the village of Ghajar, the northern part of which is within Lebanese territory according to the UN-drawn Blue Line. Lebanon filed a complaint to the UN earlier this year after Israel erected a technical fence absorbing northern Ghajar.
An 18-year-old Syrian man died of his wounds in a Lebanese hospital after he and two others encountered a landmine during an attempted informal crossing into Lebanon, security and medical sources told L’Orient Today. Hussein Aouad Oueijane, 18, died Wednesday morning after being in critical condition with a neck injury and two amputated limbs. The explosion injured two others. The Lebanese Army said that “two land mines exploded on the Syrian side of the border” opposite the irregular Obeidan crossing point to the Lebanese region of Wadi Khaled. For the past five weeks, the Lebanese Army has regularly announced intercepting mass border crossings. The announcements follow months of increasingly aggressive policing of Syrian refugee communities in Lebanon, which have included mass deportations and banning displaced Syrians crossing into Syria from retaining refugee status.
A family of four killed by the devastating floods in Derna, Libya will not be repatriated for burial in Ain al-Hilweh due to the ongoing clashes, a relative told L’Orient Today. Mohammad Sariya told L’Orient Today that his brother Saleh, sister-in-law Sanaa al Jamal, and nieces Walaa and Hoda were among the more than 5,300 killed in the floods. The family was buried in Libya and a funeral ceremony will be held in the Mieh Mieh refugee camp near Ain al-Hilweh. On Sunday, Storm Daniel caused the overflow of two river dams, unleashing devastating floods that swept away buildings with people inside.
Caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam said Arabic bread bundles will remain subsidized, adding that a 32,000-ton wheat shipment was on its way to Lebanon. "There is no bread crisis," Salam said, attempting to assuage fears over wheat supply shortages owing to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Salam noted that there had been "shortages in some areas" due to delays caused by the war.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “India-Middle East-Europe: A trade corridor with a high geopolitical profile”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz