Members of the Fatah movement on Tuesday handed over their weapons to the Lebanese Army (LAF) from the movement’s center in Jabal al-Halib, located on the outskirts of the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the Saida district of southern Lebanon.
The LAF deployed in the vicinity of the handover site and reinforced security measures to ensure the smooth implementation of the operation. The step comes as part of an ongoing plan to withdraw weapons from Palestinian camps across the country.
In a statement, Lieutenant Colonel Abdulhadi Al-Asadi, Director of the Public Relations and Media Department of the Palestinian National Security Forces in Lebanon, announced that on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, the Palestinian National Security Forces “completed the handover of the fifth batch of heavy weapons belonging to the Palestine Liberation Organization in the Ain al-Hilweh camp.”
Al-Asadi said the move implements the joint presidential statement issued by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on May 21, 2025, as well as the outcomes of the joint Lebanese-Palestinian committee tasked with monitoring camp conditions and improving living standards. He emphasized that the initiative reflects the depth of Palestinian-Lebanese partnership and a shared commitment to strengthening security, enhancing stability, and preserving fraternal relations between the two peoples.
Weapons Handover
The weapons handover process began on August 21, 2025, in Burj al-Barajneh camp. The second phase took place on August 28 in camps south of the Litani River, Rashidieh, Bass, and North Tower, followed by a third phase on August 29 in Beirut camps, including Burj al-Barajneh, Shatila, and Mar Elias. The fourth phase was completed on September 13 in the camps of Ain al-Hilweh in Sidon and al-Badawi in northern Lebanon.
For decades, Palestinian factions have maintained control over Lebanon’s 12 refugee camps, which largely operate beyond state jurisdiction. The initiative is being viewed as the most significant effort in years to curb the presence of weapons within the camps.
The plan aims to limit all arms possession to the national army, a move Hezbollah has strongly rejected and described as politically motivated and aligned with Israeli and U.S. pressure.
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