BEIRUT: Clashes resumed in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp overnight, with heavy gunfire and shelling wounding at least 20 people and prompting residents of the camp and the surrounding area to flee on Friday.
The cease-fire between the Fatah movement in the Ain Al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon and extremist groups present in adjacent neighborhoods did not hold for more than five weeks.
On Friday, a new round of fighting erupted, and rocket fire hit the city of Sidon, while about 2,500 families from the camp were displaced.
The issue of handing over those involved in the assassination of the Fatah leader Brig. Gen. Abu Ashraf Al-Armoushi in the Ain Al-Hilweh camp late in July to the Lebanese authorities remains unresolved, despite the extremist groups announcing their agreement to it happening.
Among the groups are Jund Al-Sham and Al-Shabab Al-Muslim (Muslim Youth).
The UNRWA school complex in the camp has become a barricade between the warring factions, separated by the common school playground, which now serves as a line of contact.
Extremist groups occupy three schools within their territory in the neighborhoods of Al-Tawarek, Al-Taameer, and Al-Sikkah, while Fatah advanced toward three other schools facing them in the previous round of clashes and remained inside them.
UNRWA had urged the conflicting parties to vacate the schools and suspended operations in the camp as a warning measure.
Leaders in Sidon informed the Palestinian factions that schools cannot accommodate Palestinian students in the upcoming academic year, emphasizing the need for everyone to vacate UNRWA schools to restore normalcy.
A Palestinian security source told Arab News: “Clashes erupted on Wednesday night following news that the Fatah movement had been tasked by the Joint Palestinian Action Committee, comprising all Palestinian factions, including Islamist forces, to apprehend those responsible for the Al-Armoushi assassination.
“In response, extremist groups threw two hand grenades toward a location where Palestinian National Security Forces were stationed. Violent clashes persisted throughout the night, with efforts made by Lebanese and Palestinian leaders to de-escalate the situation. Clashes soon renewed Friday noon.”
Maher Shabaita, secretary of Fatah in Sidon, said: “The meeting of the Joint Palestinian Action Committee emphasized key objectives: preserving the camp’s security and stability, vacating schools occupied by militants, and surrendering the killers to the Lebanese state.
“The clashes were sparked by shots fired at Fatah positions, and Fatah was acting in self defense.”
A rocket landed on the roof of the government building of Sidon Saray, and an office of the General Security, causing minor injuries to a policeman and material damage.
Classes at the Lebanese University in Sidon were suspended, and scheduled exams were postponed to a later date. Measures were implemented in the vicinity of the camp to protect people from stray bullets.
The Palestinian source noted: “Fatah will not back down from its demand to arrest the wanted individuals, especially since it was tasked by the Joint Palestinian Action Committee to do so, and it will not abandon this mission.
“The clashes have broader implications, especially in light of a media campaign by resistance forces in Lebanon, holding Fatah responsible for bombing Sidon and occupying UNRWA schools. This suggests that the clashes aim to weaken Fatah in Lebanon’s largest camps in favor of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.”
The source added: “Extremist groups are situated in an area considered outside the camp, making it a Lebanese jurisdiction. This matter needs resolution by the Lebanese authorities, especially since this area has become a haven for wanted individuals and fugitives.
“What is essential is the implementation of the plan to station the joint Palestinian security force inside UNRWA schools controlled by extremist group members. If they withdraw, Fatah militants will automatically vacate the schools they occupy.”
Meanwhile, Lebanese political party representatives and leaders engaged in extensive discussions with Palestinian counterparts to broker a new cease-fire. By Friday afternoon, the intensity of the clashes had diminished, with only sporadic gunfire heard.
A prominent Palestinian official told Arab News: “Our current priority is securing a cease-fire, with the implementation of the terms agreed upon by the Joint Palestinian (Action) Committee to be addressed later.”
A source familiar with the situation in Sidon said: “The city’s leaders will not take sides in these clashes but will instead stand against both parties and support the security of the camp and the security of Sidon.”
Displaced Lebanese residents from the vicinity of the Ain Al-Hilweh camp found shelter with their relatives in Sidon and the surrounding area.
UNRWA also opened its complex in the Sibline area, 14 km from Sidon, to accommodate displaced refugees.
Clashes resume between factions in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp
https://arab.news/wst4s
Clashes resume between factions in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp
- On Friday, a new round of fighting erupted, and rocket fire hit the city of Sidon, while about 2,500 families from the camp were displaced
- The UNRWA school complex in the camp has become a barricade between the warring factions
Libya authorities intercept over 100 migrants off coast
- Libya has been gripped by unrest since the 2011 overthrow and killing of longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising
TRIPOLI: Libyan authorities on Monday said they had intercepted 113 migrants off the country’s coast and recovered three bodies in separate operations over three days.
The bodies of three “illegal migrants of African nationalities” were discovered on a beach in Misrata, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Tripoli, the Ministry of Interior said.
Also on Monday, security forces on a speedboat intercepted 54 migrants off Garabulli, 50 kilometers east of the capital Tripoli, the ministry added.
They were brought back to the capital’s port and handed over to the competent authorities, it said.
The day before, “as part of a plan to intensify maritime patrols during the summer,” 20 migrants “of various nationalities” were rescued off Zawiya, 45 kilometers west of Tripoli, the ministry said Sunday.
On Saturday, 39 migrants were intercepted off the eastern coast of Tripoli, the ministry reported, without providing further details about where they were found or their point of departure.
Libya has been gripped by unrest since the 2011 overthrow and killing of longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising.
It has become a hub for tens of thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe, risking their lives at sea.
Migrants intercepted by Libyan authorities — even in international waters before reaching the Italian coast, some 300 kilometers away — are forcibly returned to Libya and held in detention under harsh conditions frequently condemned by the United Nations.
Ending war in Gaza is ‘Trump’s utmost priority’
- Israel’s refusal to allow free and safe entry of aid is key sticking point in Doha truce talks
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s “utmost priority” is to end the war in Gaza and free hostages held by Hamas, the White House said on Monday before a crucial meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will this week travel to Qatar, where Israel and Hamas are holding indirect talks. Israel’s refusal to allow the free and safe entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza remains the main obstacle to progress in the ceasefire talks in Doha, Palestinian sources said. Mediators hosted two more rounds of discussions on Monday.
The US-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and discussions on ending the war entirely.
Hamas has long demanded a final end to the war before it would free remaining hostages, but Israel will not halt fighting until all hostages are free and Hamas dismantled. Trump said last week that he would be “very firm” with Netanyahu on the need for a speedy Gaza deal.
However, Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza and sharply restricted food distribution. “God willing, a truce will take place,” Mohammed Al-Sawalheh, 30, from Jabaliya in northern Gaza, said on Monday after another Israeli air strike. “We cannot see a truce while people are dying. We want a truce that will stop this bloodshed.”
Syrian wildfires spread for fifth day due to heavy winds and war remnants
- The fires have proven difficult to bring under control despite reinforcements from Jordan, Turkiye and Lebanon
LATAKIA: Syrian firefighters are facing heavy winds, high temperatures and ordnance left behind from the 13-year civil war as they try to extinguish some of country’s worst wildfires in years for the fifth day, a government minister said Monday.
The fires, which started last week, have proven difficult to bring under control despite reinforcements from Jordan, Turkiye and Lebanon that came to the war-torn country to help Syrian teams fight the blaze.
Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed Al-Saleh said their main challenges are two locations in the coastal province of Latakia that they have been trying to control for two days.
“We have controlled other locations,” Al-Saleh told The Associated Press at the scene.
On the second day of the fire, firefighters managed to get 90 percent of the wildfires under control but explosions of left-over war ordnance and heavy winds helped spread the fires again, Al-Saleh said. He added that 120 teams are fighting the blazes.
On Monday, the Lebanese army said it sent two helicopters to help fight the fires in coordination with Syrian authorities.
Over the weekend, UN teams deployed to the Syrian coast where they are conducting urgent assessments to determine the scale of the damage and to identify the most immediate humanitarian needs.
Summer fires are common in the eastern Mediterranean region, where experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions that then lead to blazes.
Also, below-average rainfall over the winter left Syrians struggling with water shortages this summer, as the springs and rivers that normally supply much of the population with drinking water have gone dry.
US envoy praises Lebanon’s ‘well-balanced’ response on Hezbollah disarmament
- Ambassador Tom Barrack holds separate talks with President Aoun, PM, parliament speaker
- ‘An opportunity is on the horizon,’ he says
BEIRUT: US envoy Tom Barrack said he was “very satisfied” with how Lebanon responded to a US proposal aimed at disarming Hezbollah.
The comments from the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria and Lebanon came after his meeting with President Joseph Aoun on Monday.
Barrack’s meetings with Lebanese officials took place while Israeli reconnaissance planes were hovering over Beirut and the Presidential Palace in Baabda.
A security source told Arab News that the US delegation “expressed its surprise at the overflight, using the term ‘weird’ to describe it, especially since the roar of the aircraft was audible inside the meeting hall.”
Barrack received the Lebanese leadership’s response to the US proposals aimed at establishing a road map for implementing the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, and focusing on confining weapons solely to the Lebanese state.
On the eve of Barrack’s visit, the Israeli army launched a series of airstrikes on several areas in the south and the Bekaa Valley. The attacks left 10 people injured, including a child, the Ministry of Health said.
Besides Aoun, Barrack held talks with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri — who is in charge of communicating with Hezbollah regarding the negotiations with the American side — and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, with each meeting lasting over an hour.
In a statement issued by its media office, the presidency emphasized that Aoun provided Lebanese ideas for a comprehensive solution.
Berri’s media office said that the meeting was “very good and constructive and clearly took into account Lebanon’s interests and sovereignty, the concerns of the Lebanese people and Hezbollah’s demands.”
A political source told Arab News that Hezbollah “did not provide the response-drafting committee with answers but rather a set of questions reflecting its concerns.”
In a press conference at the presidential palace, Barrack described his meeting with Aoun as “very interesting and satisfying.”
US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were “deeply grateful for the promptness and the well-balanced, considerate tone of the response to our proposals,” he said.
“It is a highly critical period for Lebanon and the region. An opportunity is on the horizon as the region undergoes significant changes and everything is moving at a remarkable pace. The countries around us are undergoing constant transformation,” he said.
Barrack said Trump had expressed his commitment to and deep respect for Lebanon, as well as his support and desire to help it achieve peace and prosperity.
“I don’t believe there has been any statement like that since the time of Dwight Eisenhower,” he said.
On the Lebanese response, Barrack said: “It is thoughtful and considered. We are creating a go-forward plan and to make that we need dialogue. What the government gave us was something spectacular in a very short period. I’m unbelievably satisfied with the response.
“Now what it takes is delving deeper and taking the time to reflect on the details, which we are going to do. I’m very hopeful.
“Of course the complexity of all this is massive but at the end of it, it is simple: Is everybody tired of what has gone on for the past years? And I think the answer is: absolutely yes. Now that we have a new architecture, we must seize the opportunity. Now everybody is going to have to give up something.
“But when you give up something of a hope and expectation of an illusion, of the adversariness that we have had internally, you can get support from the world to do that.”
Regarding how to deal with Hezbollah’s refusal to hand over its weapons to the state, Barrack said: “The good news for the US is that we do not intend to deal with it. We intend for you to deal with it.
“If you want change, you change it, and we will be there to support you. But if you do not want change, it is no problem. This is a call to action.”
Lebanon risked being left behind as change swept through other countries in the region, he said.
Regarding guarantees for Lebanon, Barrack said that “what happened previously was that the specificity in the cessation of hostility agreement just was not sufficient. So neither side trusted the other.
“The mistrust between Israel, Hezbollah and the Lebanese army, all the pieces just never came together, because everybody was in such a hurry to get a transaction done. What your government is doing now is filling in those details.”
The envoy referred to the Taif Agreement, which he considered “almost identical to what is happening today. So let us take lessons from the past.”
“My belief is that Israel wants peace with Lebanon, how to get there is a challenge. Hezbollah is a political party but it also has a militant aspect to it.
“It needs to see that there is a future for it and that that road is not harnessed just solely against it and that there is an intersection of peace and prosperity for it also.”
Barrack said Israel “does not seek war with Lebanon. It is not an occupying force nor does it harbor ambitions to control the country.
“On the contrary, it respects the shared Levantine culture that unites the region. The conflict has been a nightmare for both sides and a growing fatigue is evident.
“Today, a genuine opportunity exists, made possible by the leadership of the US president, particularly through his decisive stance on Israel and Iran. Israel finds itself at a moment of introspection, seeking to show the world that it values patience and is committed to regional calm. I believe their intentions are sincere.
“Syria, once overwhelmed by chaos, is now entering a new phase, marked by hope that the international community will support its reconstruction efforts, which are beginning from the ground up,” Barrack said.
Addressing the prospect of a Syria-Israel agreement, he said: “Dialogue between the two sides has already begun, and we are no longer constrained by the events of 1967, 1974, 1982, 1993, or even by UN Resolution 1707.
“While these events hold historical significance, they are no longer the focal point. What matters now is that all parties are actively seeking to reach an understanding, an effort to de-escalate tensions and bring an end to hostilities through a meaningful agreement.”
According to sources, the Lebanese response “reaffirmed its commitment to Resolution 1701, including the extension of state authority south of the Litani River and the dismantling of unauthorized installations.”
However, it linked “the exclusivity of arms control to Israel’s full implementation of its obligations under the same resolution,” they said.
The Lebanese response stopped short of detailing how Hezbollah would withdraw its weapons north of the Litani and offered neither an implementation mechanism nor a defined timeline for action.
The Lebanese response urged “Arab sponsorship of Lebanese-Syrian relations, emphasizing the importance of facilitating the return of Syrian refugees and strengthening control over the shared border.
“It also underscored the need to address the issue of Palestinian faction arms, under the Taif Agreement and the provisions of Resolution 1701,” the sources said.
Petra tourist numbers plunge by 75 percent due to Iran-Israel war
- Jordan’s major attraction has 16,207 foreign visitors in June compared with 68,349 during the same month in 2023, according to tourism authority
- Hotels in Petra say more than 90 percent of bookings canceled, leading to closures and staff layoffs
LONDON: The number of foreign visitors to the ancient city of Petra in southern Jordan fell by more than 75 percent in June compared with previous years due to the outbreak of fighting between Iran and Israel, and the conflict in Gaza.
The Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority recorded 16,207 foreign visitors in June compared with 68,349 during the same month in 2023 and 53,888 in June 2019.
The authority said on Monday that the number of foreign visitors in the first half of 2025 has fallen sharply. It recorded 259,798 visitors, including 175,510 foreign tourists, compared with 692,595 visitors, including 606,000 foreigners, in the first half of 2023.
Fares Braizat, head of the Board of Commissioners of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, said that the Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, which began in October 2023, along with hostilities between Iran and Israel in June, has significantly contributed to the sharp decline in foreign tourism to Petra.
Middle East airspace was empty of any flight traffic at times during the 12 days of war in June, as Israel launched airstrikes inside Iran, and Tehran fired missiles and combat drones toward Israeli towns. The US also targeted three nuclear sites in Iran. Although there was no travel alert for Jordan by Western countries, similar warnings were issued for Israel, Iran, and later for Qatar as tensions escalated.
Braizat said that the decline in domestic and Arab tourist numbers to Petra has added to the challenges facing tourism businesses since 2023, leading to a decline in revenue. About 85 percent of Jordan’s population depends on tourism, directly or indirectly, with entry fees to archaeological sites the authority’s primary source of income.
He said that the authority has set up plans to support the tourism sector, with hotels in Petra saying that more than 90 percent of bookings have been canceled, leading to closures and staff layoffs.
Abdullah Hasanat, president of the Petra Hotel Cooperative Association, said that 28 hotels with a total of 1,975 rooms have been forced to close, representing 56 percent of all hotel rooms in the Petra region.
