Conflict Incident Report

A new joint Palestinian security force will deploy in three areas of the south Lebanon refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh afternoon, a Fatah official confirmed to The Daily Star. The deployment of the force in the southern refugee camp was cast into doubt after Thursday’s detention of an 11-member terror cell in Tripoli that allegedly had links to an extremist organization based in the camp near Sidon. The arrests raised questions as to whether the new security force would be able to deploy in specific locations in the camp, sources said Thursday, especially after delays in deployment. These, Palestinian sources said, were designed to give the Islamist factions more time to organize after some warned against the force’s deployment in certain areas.

However, sources confirmed the deployment was scheduled to go ahead as planned.

“A meeting was held with the political bodies of the forces to be deployed today and the environment is very positive,” a Fatah official told The Daily Star Thursday.

The official added that the joint force would be deployed to three locations throughout the camp: near the force’s headquarters at the former Al-Kifah school, the Boraq Centrale intersection and near Al-Saaiqa’s office at the vegetable market intersection.