Al-Lino: We Can No Longer Remain Lenient with Criminals Targeting Ain al-Hilweh

Fatah's Lebanon commander Mahmoud Issa, alias "Al-Lino" stressed that measures will be taken against sides seeking to create unrest in the volatile Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh.

He told Ad Diyar daily in remarks published on Sunday: “We can no longer remain lenient with those criminals.”

“We will confront any criminal act that targets the security of the camp and the neighboring areas,” he added.

“Targeting the camp is aimed at attacking the security of our people and that of the entire region,” he continued.

One person was killed and eight others wounded in Ain al-Helweh on Saturday when armed clashes erupted between rival factions.

An AFP correspondent in the camp said clashes erupted Saturday afternoon between members of the mainstream Fatah faction, loyal to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, and Sunni Islamist group Jund al-Sham.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Fatah official told AFP the clashes were linked to the arrest on Friday of a Jund al-Sham member accused of planting a bomb in the camp targeting "Al-Lino."

Meanwhile, sources monitoring the situation told Ad Diyar that Palestinian security forces at the camp handed over to the army one of the suspects in Al-Lino’s assassination.

They revealed that two Fatah Islam members confessed to planting the bomb in the assassination attempt, adding that they are wanted by Lebanese judicial and security authorities.

Munir Maqdah, who is in charge of security at Ain al-Hilweh, told Ad Diyar that an agreement was reached between all Palestinian factions to hand the sides responsible for the unrest over to the security forces.

He stressed that the Palestinian forces are keen, now more than ever, on maintaining the security in the camp and the nearby areas.

“Our people will not allow anyone to target the camp as it will remain a resistant camp and we won’t allow anyone to change its identity,” he added.