BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- A bomb exploded and another was dismantled in a Palestinian camp in south Lebanon.
Political sources said the explosion occurred Tuesday night in the refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh, which in recent years has become a safe heaven for criminals and outlaws wanted by Lebanese authorities.
They said a hand grenade was tossed at the home of a Syrian member of one of the Palestinian groups based in the camp, which like other refugee shantytowns in south Lebanon, is outside the control of the Lebanese authorities.
There were no casualties but minor material damage.
Another bomb placed inside a car in Ein el-Hilweh was dismantled Wednesday, police said.
The joint popular committees in the camp, grouping representatives from the various Palestinian factions, condemned the incident, expressing fears of a possible renewal of bombings that have rocked the shantytown in recent years.
The committees in a statement said, "The incident is aimed at stirring chaos, instability and insecurity inside the camp at a time Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue is taking place at the highest levels to organize Palestinian presence in Lebanon."
Ein el-Hilweh, Lebanon's biggest refugee camp, is home to more than 60,000 Palestinians. It has been the scene of clashes and other violence between rival groups, including Muslim extremist organizations accused of terrorism.
The Lebanese army controls the entrances to the camp but has no presence or authority inside it.
Disarming Palestinian factions is stipulated under U.N. Security Council resolution 1559, but the Lebanese authorities are keen on resolving that issue through dialogue with the Palestinian Authority with the aim of organizing Palestinian arms and limiting its presence inside the camps.
Only two Palestinian groups have military presence outside the camps: The Damascus-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command of Ahmed Jibril, and Abu Mousa's Fatah-Uprising.
