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Mastermind behind al-Lino’s Assassination Succeeds Awad as Fatah al-Islam Leader

Fatah al-Islam has appointed Usama al-Shahabi as the new leader of the group after the death of its former leader Abdul Rahman Awad who was killed in an army ambush in Shtoura in 2010, revealed a Fatah source to the Central News Agency on Tuesday.

Confessions of two Fatah al-Islam members revealed that al-Shahabi was the mastermind of the failed assassination attempt against Fatah's Lebanon commander Mahmoud Issa, alias "Al-Lino", added the source.

The assassination attempt took place about a week ago and was conducted by some Jund al-Sham members.

Shahabi also oversaw the clashes that took place between Fatah, Jund al-Sham, and Fatah al-Islam that broke out at the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp over the weekend.

The source explained that Jund al-Sham and Fatah al-Islam have been harmed by the reconciliation between the Fatah and Hamas Palestinian groups in Cairo and the improved ties between the Lebanese state and Palestinian Liberation Organization, as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ upcoming visit to Lebanon.

The source said that Abbas will stress during his trip that the refugee camps are a part of Lebanon and they will not be a “thorn in its side.”

The Palestinian authorities in Ain al-Hilweh have succeeded in withdrawing armed individuals from the camp after Sunday’s clashes between Fatah, Jund al-Sham, and Fatah al-Islam.


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