Senior Fatah Official killed in Car Explosion in South Lebanon
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An explosion in the southern Lebanon city of Sidon killed an official from the Palestinian Fatah movement on Tuesday, an official from the group said.
A prominent Palestinian official was assassinated Tuesday in a car explosion near the southern Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh, a source told The Daily Star.
The source said General Fathi Zaydan, Fatah Movement's senior officer in the nearby Mieh Mieh refugee camp, was targeted in the explosion that rocked the area, specifically near the Hay al-American roundabout.
He was reportedly attending a security meeting in Mieh Mieh.
Military and security forces deployed heavily in the area to prevent any escalation in the situation.
The bombing went off just a few meters outside the Ain al-Hilweh camp near the southern port city of Sidon.
Casualty numbers remain unclear.
Panicked people could be heard screaming and running after the bomb went off.
Veteran Fatah official Maj. Gen. Munir Maqdah told LBCI that Zaydan demanded during the meeting of Palestinian factions to tighten security measures in Mieh Mieh camp.
The Internal Security Forces called on citizens via Twitter to clear away from the explosion site to make way for ambulances to transfer the wounded.
Ain al-Hilweh has witnessed skirmishes between rival Palestinian and radical factions over the past few weeks, and has been repeatedly rocked by gun violence and grenade attacks. It is home to a number of extremist militant groups.
The escalation of violence in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp has prompted Palestinian and Lebanese officials to attempt to contain the situation, as developments in the camp could impact Sidon and other neighboring areas.
