Fall of Syria's regime clears path for Lebanese army to reclaim...

3^min

Report by Yazbek Wehbe, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Since before the Lebanese Civil War, during it, and up to the present day, various armed Palestinian factions have controlled several sites across Lebanon.

Some left after the war ended, while others remained dominant, despite the Lebanese army reclaiming numerous positions after 1991, either through negotiations or force.

These factions, close to the Syrian regime and Hezbollah, controlled six sites, including in Naameh, south of Beirut, under the authority of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command, led by Ahmad Jibril.

The locations also include the Qousaya mountain site in central Bekaa, the Hechmech site between Qousaya and Deir El Ghazal, and the Jbailet Ain el Baida site near Kfar Zabad, also in central Bekaa.

Also included is the Sultan Yaaqoub site in western Bekaa, which belongs to the General Command, along with a site in Helwah-Rachaya controlled by Fatah al-Intifada, which was handed over to the Lebanese army two days before the fall of the Syrian regime.

Once the regime fell, it became clear to the General Command leadership and its fighters that Syrian support had ended, and the handover of weapons stored in the sites was inevitable. Communication with the Lebanese army began for this purpose.

The first to be handed over was Helwah, two days before Assad's fall, followed by Hechmech and Sultan Yaaqoub, which were taken over by the Lebanese army on Saturday.

The seized weapons included light and medium firearms with some ammunition, while certain landmines and shells will be detonated due to concerns about the danger of transporting them.

Fighters of the General Command still control the largest site, Jurd Qousaya, located between Lebanon and Syria, which includes heavy weapons, and the Jbailet Ain el Baida-Kfar Zabad site.

However, reports indicate that the handover of these sites to the Lebanese army will occur soon, most likely by Monday.

While there was division among the leadership of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in recent days, with some wanting to evacuate the sites and surrender the weapons and others wanting to remain in control, the fighters of the General Command still hold the Naameh tunnel.

Meanwhile, they vacated its surroundings at the beginning of last summer, and the army handed over the areas they controlled to their rightful owners from Damour and Naameh.

After the signing of the ceasefire agreement with Israel, which included disarming militias, and with the fall of the Assad regime, it seems the process of restoring state control over security has begun.

The decision to close Palestinian "encampments," made at the beginning of the national dialogue sessions in Nejmeh Square in 2006, is now moving toward implementation across all Lebanese territories.