Renewed clashes in Lebanese refugee camp leave two dead

By Wasim Saif al-Din

BEIRUT (AA) - Two people were killed Tuesday in renewed clashes in Southern Lebanon's Mieh Mieh refugee camp, according to a local security source.

Violent clashes first erupted in the camp on Monday between Hezbollah-backed members of the Ansar Allah group and the Palestinian Fatah movement.

A Palestinian security source told Anadolu Agency that the clashes -- in which both sides used rockets and machine guns -- had continued on Tuesday, leaving at least two Fatah members dead.

The source, insisting on anonymity due to the issue’s sensitivity, added that at least 20 others -- from both sides -- had been injured in the fighting so far.

In a Tuesday statement, Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said a cease-fire had been hammered out at a meeting of representatives from leading Palestinian factions held at the Lebanese army’s nearby regional headquarters.

Located roughly four kilometers east of the Lebanese city of Sidon, all three groups -- Fatah, Hamas and Ansar Allah -- reportedly maintain an armed presence inside the camp.

Established in 1954, the Mieh Mieh refugee camp is currently home to some 5,000 Palestinian refugees.