Army Arrests Ain el-Hilweh IS Emir

The army intelligence arrested on Thursday the so-called emir of the Islamic State group in Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian Refugee camp Imad Yassine, the National News Agency reported.

“Following close surveillance and followup and in a special operation, a force from the Intelligence Directorate managed this morning to arrest the Palestinian Imad Yassine, who is known as the emir of the IS group in Ain el-Hilweh,” an army statement said.

It said Yassine was arrested in Ain el-Hilweh's al-Tawari neighborhood.

“Yassine, who was wanted on multiple arrest warrants, had been plotting prior to his arrest to stage several terrorist bombings against army posts, vital and touristic facilities, shopping centers, popular gatherings and residential areas in several Lebanese regions,” the army added.

“He was tasked with his missions by terrorist organizations based outside the country,” the military said.

It was reported in July that Yassine had received orders from IS foreign operations chief Abu Khaled al-Iraqi to stage major "Iraq-like bombings" across Lebanon.

Palestinian factions in the camp have asserted that they will not allow perpetrators to use the camp as a conduit to trigger sedition. They stressed cooperation with the security forces to that end.

By long-standing convention, the army does not enter the twelve Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, leaving the Palestinian factions themselves to handle security.

That has created lawless areas in many camps, and Ain el-Hilweh has gained notoriety as a refuge for extremists and fugitives.

But the camp is also home to more than 54,000 registered Palestinian refugees who have been joined in recent years by thousands of Palestinians fleeing the fighting in Syria.

More than 450,000 Palestinians are registered in Lebanon with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. Most live in squalid conditions in 12 official refugee camps and face a variety of legal restrictions, including on their employment.