Fatah is set to hand over a new batch of its weapons to the Lebanese Army on Tuesday morning from inside the Ain al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp, in a move that will take place away from media coverage but carries significant political and security implications, according to informed sources cited by Al-Modon.

The handover is part of the broader, phased process of transferring Palestinian weapons from refugee camps to Lebanese state control. Four such phases were completed between August 21 and September 13, 2025, covering nine camps, including Ain al-Helweh. The process was initiated by Fatah and aligns with commitments made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his visit to Lebanon in May 2025, when he voiced the Palestinian Authority’s support for the Lebanese government’s plan to extend its authority across all Lebanese territory, including the camps.

What distinguishes this latest step, however, is both its timing and location. Unlike previous rounds, no parallel handovers have been announced in other Palestinian camps. In addition, the move comes just one week after Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared the transition to the second phase of Lebanon’s plan to restrict weapons to the State; a phase set to be implemented in areas north of the Litani River. Observers say this has fueled speculation that the Ain al-Helweh handover effectively signals the launch of that next stage.

Sources closely following the file told Al-Modon that the step carries three key messages. The first is directed at the United States and the international community, underscoring what they describe as Lebanon’s seriousness in asserting state authority nationwide, based on a plan drawn up by the Lebanese Army at the government’s request.

The second message is aimed at Hamas and other Palestinian factions that have yet to surrender their weapons, urging them to follow Fatah’s example and comply with the handover process.

The third message is seen as being addressed to Hezbollah, which has opposed including the area north of the Litani River in the weapons control plan. 

According to information obtained by Al-Modon, the second Fatah weapons handover from Ain al-Helweh follows prior coordination between Fatah’s leadership and the Lebanese Army. Preparations began more than a week ago, during which Fatah gathered the weapons at a warehouse inside the Saad Sayel center, affiliated with the movement, in the Jabal al-Halib area southeast of the camp.

The shipment consists of five truckloads and includes medium weapons as well as some heavy arms. The handover is scheduled to take place at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, without media presence. As in the first operation from the same site, the weapons will be moved through a newly created passage in an earthen berm separating the center from a Lebanese Army position on the camp’s perimeter, before being transferred to army facilities.

Fatah has so far declined to disclose any details about the new handover.

The Palestinian weapons transfer process has unfolded in four stages to date. The first took place in Burj al-Barajneh on August 21, 2025. The second followed on August 28, 2025, in camps south of the Litani River — Rashidiyeh, al-Bass and al-Burj al-Shamali. The third stage occurred on August 29, 2025, in Beirut’s camps of Burj al-Barajneh, Shatila and Mar Elias. The fourth was carried out on September 13, 2025, in the Beddawi camp in the northern city of Tripoli and in Ain al-Helweh in the southern city of Sidon.