Fatah Official Escapes Murder Attempt in Ain el-Hilweh, 2 Dead in Clashes
A Fatah movement official escaped on Saturday an assassination attempt at the southern Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh, leading to clashes that left two people dead.
The state-run National News Agency and local media said one of the bodyguards of Abou Ashraf al-Armoushi, the chief of national security at the camp, was injured when they came under fire.
Al-Armoushi, who was attending the funeral of a Fatah member in the camp's Hattin neighborhood, escaped the attack unharmed.
The murder attempt prompted Fatah gunmen to exchange fire with Jund al-Sham militants, which left two Palestinians dead and more than 14 others injured, said NNA.
The clashes took place mostly near the camp's northern entrance, and dozens of fearful families fled to mosques in the nearby city of Sidon.
Ain el-Hilweh has been the location for the settling of scores between several factions, and a breeding ground for extremist groups because of the poverty there.
Most Palestinians live in squalid conditions in the country's 12 official camps.
The Lebanese army does not enter the camps, under a tacit deal agreed after the 1975-1990 civil war. Palestinian factions are responsible for security.
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