Al-Assir gunmen clash with Lebanese security forces
At least, three soldiers have been so far killed and seven others injured in clashes between Salafists and Lebanon security troops in the southern city of Sidon.
The supporters of Salafist Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir attacked a military checkpoint in Sidon, on Sunday, according to Lebanese security sources.
The military checkpoint is reportedly located on the main road to Abra, near the Bilal bin Rabah. The army forces deployed to control the situation and restore calm to the area.
On Tuesday, June 18, clashes initiated by the Salafists in the same town left at least one civilian dead, and many others wounded.
According to Lebanese media sources, “the militants of al-Assir attacked the checkpoint without a reason; the members of Lebanese army confronted them, which led to the martyrdom of 3, including two officers,” according to the army statement.
The Lebanese site (al-Nashra) confirmed that a group of Jund al-Sham formerly has closed off the main road in Ta’meer – Ein al-Hilweh with burning tires, where a state of tension prevails on the back of Ahmad al-Assir assaults on the Lebanese army in Abra.
The Lebanese army began to enter the centers of Ahmad al-Assir to hunt down his armed men, after it closed off the roads in Sidon, and passages leading to Ein al-Hilweh.
Al-Assir had repeated during the past few days a tough speech and at the end of it was to confront the Lebanese army, called by saying: “the Sunnis militaries defections from the military organization”.
