LOC22:29
19:29 GMT
BEIRUT, March 24 (KUNA) -- At least three people were killed and several others wounded as a result of gun battles at the Palestinian refugee camp in Ain Al-Hilweh town near Sidon city on Friday.
The deadly clashes broke out last night between gunmen belonging to Bilal Bader group and the so-called Reformist Movement - an offshoot of the Fatah Movement led by Mahmoud Isa, local security sources told KUNA.
Sporadic fighting and sniper fire went on today in Jabal Al-Halib area and other parts of the camp with gunmen from both groups using automatic firearms and rocket propelled grenades.
The fighting forced residents of the camp to remain stuck at home or flee to safer areas outside the camp, the sources said.
Meanwhile, Palestinian political leaders convened an emergency meeting with a view to defusing the tension and reviving the ceasefire deal reached in late February after similar deadly clashes.
According to the security arrangements at the refugee camps, the Palestinian groups are in charge of maintaining security inside the camps while the Lebanese army and police forces control the entrances and the surroundings of the camps. (end)
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