Militants exchange gunfire in a Palestinian refugee camp located in southern Lebanon. One individual launches an RPG at an unseen target and then trots back behind cover, and another gunman with a rifle moves center-screen to take his place. It sounds as though someone might have been providing covering fire, but that could be coincidence, or merely optimism on my part.

The two parties in conflict are Palestinian factions at the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon. In late July, members of Asbat al-Ansar militia reacted after an unknown assailant attempted but failed to kill Palestinian militant Mahmoud Khalil, and the following day, members of President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party took up arms after General Abu Ashraf al Armoushi was gunned down in retaliation. The situation has continued to devolve, with up to fifty people killed to this point.

About the Author

Cam

Cam served as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps, deploying to the Horn of Africa and participating in combat operations in Iraq. He currently works in the maritime industry and in the defense sector as an instructor of combined arms planning and operations. An avid sailor, Cam founded and directs a nonprofit that supports veterans and first responders through sailing.