2 Lebanese army officers, 1 soldier killed in sectarian clash

Two Lebanese army officers and a soldier were killed Sunday in a surprise attack by members supporting Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir on an army checkpoint in the southern port city of Sidon. The supporters of the radical Sunni cleric attacked an army checkpoint near the Abra roadblock, the stronghold of Al-Assir, following days of fighting in the city with supporters of Shiite Hezbollah, a military source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Mortar shells were used during the clashes, leaving two other civilians injured, the source said, adding that the army has sent reinforcements to the vicinity of the Abra area. Meanwhile, unidentified gunmen had previously taken control of the Sidon coastal highway and fired into the air to stop traffic in and out of the city, but the army units managed to reopen the road and are chasing the gunmen, said the source. According to a communique by the army guidance directorate, " the premeditated murder of the Lebanese military resulted in damaging vehicles. Measures to pre-empt similar future attacks and apprehend Al-Assir perpetrators were adopted."