The Lebanese army began the first phase of disarming Palestinian refugee camps by commencing operations at the Burj al-Barajneh camp in Beirut this evening, August 21st, at 6:00 PM UTC. The process is expected to include the handover of medium and heavy Palestinian weapons. According to LBCI, army intelligence mechanisms arrived at the Burj al-Barajneh camp in preparation for the weapon handover. This development marks the start of a process that began on May 23rd and is slated to include all camps in the southern region, as stated by Ramiz Damascus, head of the Lebanese Palestinian working team. The Burj al-Barajneh camp, located in Beirut's southern suburbs and considered Hezbollah's main neighborhood, is symbolically significant for the disarmament initiative. Hezbollah Member of Parliament Ibrahim Al-Musvi commented on the release of an Israeli citizen previously held in Lebanon, suggesting it holds broader context within Lebanon and could be linked to efforts to liberate Lebanese prisoners held in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury announced new sanctions on Greek national Antonios Margaritis and his network of companies, along with nearly a dozen vessels. These actions aim to disrupt Iran's oil exports and reduce revenue used to support terrorism, according to a statement from the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Syrian sources have confirmed to Al-Jadeed that a security, political, and judicial committee is scheduled to visit Lebanon at the end of the current month.
