Mawlawi denies presence of terror plot behind Ain al-Helweh clashes

Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi has denied the presence of a “terror plot” behind the deadly clashes that rocked the Ain al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp over the past four days.

There is no “terror plot being implemented in Lebanon as some are saying,” Mawlawi said in a TV interview, calling on politicians to “perform their duties to the fullest, especially that security and military forces are carrying out their duties.”

“We do not fear for the army in the face of the clashes at the Ain al-Helweh camp and the army is fully performing its duties in this region and elsewhere despite all the difficult circumstances,” Mawlawi added.

“The sacrifices that the army is making are highly appreciated and limitless,” the minister went on to say.

The clashes stopped on Wednesday morning after a ceasefire took effect. The fighting left ten people dead and dozens injured. Some Lebanese troops were wounded as gunfire from the clashes reached several areas in the southern city of Sidon.

The gunbattles pitted members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah Movement against hardline Islamist militants. The violence started with the killing of an Islamist on Saturday and escalated Sunday with the assassination of a senior Fatah commander and several of his companions.

Outbreaks of violence are common in the camp, but the latest flare-up was the worst in years. Ain al-Helweh is home to more than 54,000 registered refugees. It was created for Palestinians who were driven out or fled during the 1948 war that coincided with Israel's creation.

Thousands of Palestinians who sought refuge from Syria's civil war have also joined the camp in recent years.

Tiny Lebanon hosts an estimated 250,000 Palestinian refugees, according to UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.

Most live in Ain al-Helweh, one of Lebanon's 12 official camps, and face a variety of legal restrictions, including on employment. By long-standing convention, the Lebanese Army does not enter Palestinian refugee camps, leaving the factions themselves to handle security.