Lebanon begins disarming Palestinian groups linked to Fatah

Lebanon on Thursday said it had started disarming Palestinian resistance groups. 

Reporters said they saw Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) convoys going into the Burj al-Barajneh camp in Beirut ahead of the handover of weapons. 

The move underscores how Beirut is trying to reassert the authority of the LAF across Lebanon, including in 12 Palestinian refugee camps where Lebanese police and soldiers refrained from entering.

"Today marks the beginning of the first phase of the process of handing over weapons from inside the Palestinian camps," Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee chairman Ramez Dimashkieh said in a statement.

Beirut is under pressure from the US and Gulf states to disarm Hezbollah also. 

In May,  Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Beirut, where the two agreed on a plan to disarm groups linked to Fatah.

It is unclear whether the disarmement will apply to Hamas, which also operates in Lebanon, but is at odds with the Palestinian Authority and Fatah.