Some armed Palestinian groups in Lebanese refugee camps began handing over their weapons to the authorities on Thursday after reaching a deal earlier this year, with Washington hailing the move as a "historic step".

The efforts at disarmament came after the Lebanese government, under US pressure, tasked the army with formulating a plan to also disarm the militant group Hezbollah by the end of the year.

The Lebanese army took into its custody a number of weapons in the Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp in Beirut's southern suburbs.

An AFP photographer saw a truck filled with weapons and ammunition transported from the camp to a nearby parking lot, where Lebanese army vehicles and personnel were deployed to inspect the cargo.

"Today marks the beginning of the first phase of the process of ha

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