BEIRUT: Lebanese troops entered the Burj Al-Barajneh refugee camp in Beirut’s southern suburbs late on Thursday and began collecting the first weapons surrendered as part of a government move to disarm Palestinian factions.
The weapons handover is part of a broader disarmament push that follows a Lebanese government decision, announced on Aug. 5, to limit possession of arms exclusively to the state. It also follows an earlier meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, held on May 21 in Beirut.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the start of the process, saying that the initial handover of Palestinian weapons to the Lebanese Army marked an important step.
Additional batches will be transferred in coming weeks from Burj Al-Barajneh and other camps, he added.
Ramez Dimashqieh, head of the government’s Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, described the operation as “a handover based on lists prepared in advance by the Lebanese Army in coordination with the Palestinian forces inside the camp.”
