An explosion just outside the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on Tuesday killed a local Palestinian security official amid tensions between the main Palestinian faction and extremists groups.
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Lebanese officials identified the man as Fathi Zeidan, Fatah’s security chief in the refugee camp of Mieh Mieh, which is located near Sidon.
“His identification card was found near the vehicle which exploded, which was also his”, a source told the AFP news agency, adding that it was unclear if Zaydan had been in the auto at the time.
Scorched body parts were lying near a auto in flames, AFP’s correspondent said.
More than 450,000 Palestinians are registered in Lebanon with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, and most live in squalid conditions in 12 official refugee camps.
The head of the Palestinian National Security Forces in Lebanon, Gen. Sobhi Abu Arab, described the incident as “a criminal work that is seeking to ignite the situation at Ain al-Hilweh”.
In January, Fatah announced a campaign to expunge all militant groups, including Jund al-Sham, from Ain el-Hilweh to secure and assert greater control over the settlement.
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For Vice News, Patrick Strickland and Dylan Collins got rare access to the Ain al-Hilweh camp past year, accompanying a joint security control in the conflict-riddled camp for a photo reportage.
