Beirut [Lebanon], August 2: A ceasefire that had been agreed among rival factions in a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon collapsed on Tuesday after a short lull in fighting.
The sound of heavy machine gunfire and rocket propelled grenades echoed throughout the Ain el-Hilweh camp, some 40km south of Beirut.
A paramedic in the area said snipers were back on rooftops and the situation inside the camp, home to some 80,000 people, was once again "very tense." A gathering site for journalists near the camp was directly hit by a shell. No injuries were reported.
Clashes started on Saturday in Ain el-Hilweh between members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' mainstream Fatah group and Islamist factions, killing at least seven people and wounding more than 35 others.
Lebanese lawmaker Osama Saad, who represents the Sidon area in parliament and was a main negotiator of the ceasfire which was agreed upon among the rival factions late Monday, confirmed to dpa that the truce was breached.
"We are working with all involved factions to contain the situation," he told dpa by phone from Sidon. The trigger for the fighting in the camp was the killing of Fatah commander Abu Ashraf al-Armouchi and several of his aides.
Source: Qatar Tribune