Lebanon said on Thursday it was launching the planned disarmament of Palestinian factions in refugee camps, part of a wider effort to establish a state monopoly on arms. The planned disarmament was starting with the handover of weapons on Thursday from the Burj al-Barajneh camp in Beirut to the Lebanese army,

It was a modest first step. One pickup left the camp loaded with light weapons packed in bags. The butts of machine guns could be seen protruding from some of the sacks.

Palestinian factions in Lebanon began handing over weapons in refugee camps on Thursday as part of a government plan to bring arms under state control, Lebanese authorities said. In a statement, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s office said the first batch of weapons in the Burj al-Barajneh camp, Beirut will be delivered to the Lebanese army.