Grenade thrown at Palestinian party offices in southern Lebanon

Jan 4, 2010, 13:04 GMT

Beirut - A hand grenade was thrown at offices belonging to the spokesman of the Palestinian Fatah party in the Rashdiyeh refugee camp in southern Lebanon on Monday, a Palestinian source said.

The grenade exploded, causing property damage, but no injuries, the source said. The culprit remained unidentified.

The attack came after the Fatah spokesman, Sultan Abu al-Aynayn, announced several measures for Lebanon's 12 refugee camps to prevent al-Qaeda operatives from entering them.

His statement came after an armed clash Saturday in the Ain al- Hilweh camp in southern Lebanon between Fatah members and members of the Jund al-Sham faction, which left one Fatah follower wounded.

The Palestinian camps have become hubs for Sunni fundamentalist groups in recent years. The presence of movements like Jund al Sham and Fatah al-Islam led to a three-month battle with the Lebanese army in Nahr al Bared camp in northern Lebanon in 2007.

Security inside the Palestinian camps in Lebanon is in the hands of the Palestinian Factions, but the camp entrances are controlled by the Lebanese army.