Tension in Ain el-Hilweh Following Assassination of Fatah Official
Tension was high in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh on Saturday following news of the assassination of Fatah official Col. Talal al-Ordoni, a security official said.
"Al-Ordouni was shot dead by two unidentified men while he was walking in the southern part of Ain el-Hilweh," the Palestinian official told Agence France Presse.
"He was accompanied by two bodyguards, one of whom was also killed and the other was wounded."
Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said that al-Ordoni was killed by the Jund al-Sham group.
Supporters of Fatah soon opened fire in the air upon hearing the news of his death.
Jund al-Sham has yet to claim responsibility for the assassination, but VDL identified al-Ordoni's shooter as Bilal Badr, a member of the group.
Badr was wounded in the assassination and he is in critical condition, added the radio station.
Meanwhile, Fatah commander Munir al-Maqdah condemned the assassination, saying: “Some sides do not want security and stability in Ain el-Hilweh.”
“We will strike down with an iron fist those who tamper with our security,” he declared according to VDL (100.5).
In May 2014, Ordoni survived an attempt on his life in Ain el-Hilweh in southern Lebanon.
Ain el-Hilweh, the largest Palestinian camp in the country, is home to about 50,000 refugees.
Assassinations are common in the camp which is a haven for militants and fugitives.
By long-standing convention, the Lebanese army does not enter the country's 12 refugee camps, leaving security inside to the Palestinians themselves.
Source: Agence France Presse, Naharnet
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