SIDON, Lebanon: Two people were killed and at least 11 wounded when a personal dispute escalated into violent clashes between two militias in the south Lebanon refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh Thursday.
Witnesses said machine guns, hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenades were used in the clashes between members of secular Fatah and al-Qaeda-linked Jund al-Sham, which is classified as a terrorist group by the Lebanese government.
The fighting subsided around 7 p.m., after more than five hours of heavy clashes, with mediation of a local civilian group and the intervention of a year-old Palestinian security force responsible for maintaining order in the camp, which is off-limits to Lebanese security forces.
The two men killed in the clashes were identified as Palestinians Mahmoud Osman, a militant who participated in the fighting, and civilian Mehdi Hasna, known by his nickname Al-Tabarawi, whose body was still lying in the streets two hours after the clashes ended. The wounded included at least one woman.