Lebanese judicial authorities have ordered the release of former Palestinian ambassador to Lebanon Ashraf Dabbour under a settlement requiring him to leave the country, the Almodon news site reported on Tuesday.
Security forces were expected to escort Dabbour to Beirut Airport for departure to Bulgaria, bringing to a close a judicial case that involved his detention and questioning. It was not clear exactly when he would be required to leave Lebanon.
The agreement, according to Almodon, includes halting all media campaigns waged by both his supporters and those aligned with his rival, Mazen Abbas, son of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Sources close to Dabbour stressed that the agreement did not involve any financial settlement. The sources said several factors had contributed to his release, including a firm position by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri against allowing the dispute to escalate, as well as repeated interventions by former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt, who questioned the legal grounds for Dabbour's detention.
There were also concerns among Palestinian and Lebanese figures that handing Dabbour over to the Palestinian Authority (PA), if carried out, would set a legal precedent that could trigger further disputes and potentially prompt the authority to seek the detention of other Palestinians in Lebanon, the sources said.
Fatah leaders also played an important role in containing the dispute, which had begun to affect the movement's internal cohesion. Several messages were reportedly sent by senior Fatah figures to President Abbas, urging him to intervene and prevent the situation from escalating further.
Lebanese security forces arrested Dabbour in April, acting on an Interpol arrest warrant tied to financial corruption allegations. He was detained upon his arrival at Beirut Airport from Jordan, in implementation of a Red Notice issued in absentia.
In July 2025, Abbas relieved Dabbour of his duties as deputy to the general supervisor of the Palestinian file in Lebanon, reportedly as part of broader organisational and security changes within Fatah.
He later faced multiple financial allegations, including corruption and illicit enrichment.
Dabbour had been under scrutiny over his alleged role in the sale of properties in Beirut owned by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), which maintained a significant presence in Lebanon until Israel’s 1982 invasion.
Jumblatt had close and direct ties to the PLO during the Lebanese civil war.
During his tenure as ambassador from 2012 to 2015, Dabbour is accused of approving real estate deals for personal gain, including the purchase of a PLO-owned building in Beirut’s Corniche al-Mazraa area, and of transferring funds from embassy accounts into his personal bank accounts.
After refusing to appear before Palestinian judicial authorities, an arrest warrant was issued against him through Interpol.