Lebanese and Palestinian leaders agree that Lebanon won't be used as a launchpad to strike Israel [View all]

Source: Associated Press

Lebanese and Palestinian leaders agree that Lebanon won’t be used as a launchpad to strike Israel

By BASSEM MROUE
Updated 12:48 PM EDT, May 21, 2025

BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese and Palestinian presidents agreed Wednesday that Palestinian factions won’t use Lebanon as a launchpad for any attacks against Israel, and to remove weapons that aren’t under the authority of the Lebanese state.

The announcement was made during a meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived earlier in the day beginning a three-day visit to Lebanon, his first in seven years.

Lebanon’s government is seeking to establish authority throughout the country, mainly in the south near the border with Israel after the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war that ended in late November with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

The 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon aren’t under the control of the Lebanese state, and Palestinian factions in the camps have different types of weapons. Rival groups have clashed inside the camps in recent years, inflicting casualties and affecting nearby areas.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-palestinians-aoun-abbas-hamas-weapons-camps-757c46e7cddd4c1053f19cd9c02d064e