Light weapons, B7 shells collected from Rashidieh, Al-Buss, and Burj al-Shamali refugee camps in Tyre, Lebanese media says
The Lebanese army began on Thursday to collect weapons from Palestinian refugee camps in Tyre in southern Lebanon.
According to the state news agency NNA, seven trucks loaded with light weapons and B7 shells left the Rashidieh, Al-Buss, and Burj al-Shamali refugee camps in Tyre to military barracks in Shawakir, east of the city.
Last week, Palestinian factions handed over their weapons in the Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp in Beirut under a government plan to bring all weapons under state control.
The handover process took place under the supervision of Lebanese and Palestinian officials.
The Palestinian Authority (PA), for its part, confirmed that weapons had been handed over to the Lebanese army from refugee camps in Lebanon.
In a statement, PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the handover operations will continue in the rest of the Palestinian refugee camps across Lebanon in the coming period.
Abu Rudieneh said the handover came following a mutual decision between Lebanese and Palestinian presidents, adding that a joint committee will be formed “to follow up on the conditions of Palestinian camps in Lebanon and to work to improve the living and humanitarian conditions of refugees, while respecting Lebanese sovereignty and adhering to Lebanese laws.”
The total number of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon is estimated at over 493,000 in 12 camps, most of which are under the control of the Palestinian factions.
On Aug. 5, Lebanon’s Cabinet approved a plan to place all weapons – including Hezbollah’s – under state control, tasking the army with drafting an implementation strategy by the end of this month and executing it by the end of 2025. Hezbollah denounced the government's move as a “grave sin.”
Israel launched a military offensive in Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring around 17,000.
A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah activities.
Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.
