REPORT: Bolbol says Fadel Shaker’s Youtube video is old

Following the release of a video on Youtube purporting former singer Fadel Shaker and other partisans of the Imam of Bilal Bin Rabbah Mosque Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir glorifying the killing of men believed to being soldiers of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Adnan Bolbol, who also appeared in the video held a short press conference today whereby he clarified that the video is not new and those killed were members of the Resistance Serail in Abra.                            

17 Lebanese Armed Forces soldiers were killed after fighting erupted in Sidon city Sunday between LAF soldiers and supporters of Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir lasting until Monday evening. The clashes began after troops arrested an al-Assir follower leading to a retaliatory attack on the part of the Sunni sheikh’s followers. This as the army said the cleric's supporters opened fire without provocation on an army checkpoint.                     

LAF martyrs were identified as First Sergeant Toni Youssef Hazouri, Sergeant Omar Haitham Youssef, Corporal Abdel Karim Qabalan Teaimeh, Soldiers Johnny Antoine Nicolas, Wassim Saleh Hamdan, Bilal Abdallah Idriss.                               

In contrast, 35 of Assir's partisans were also reported killed in Sidon’s clashes. The Lebanese Red Cross announced that 78 injured were transported out of Abra.                 

Al-Assir is a virulent critic of the powerful Shiite group Hezbollah group, which along with its allies dominates Lebanon's government.              

He supports rebels fighting to oust Syria's President Bashar Assad.         

The fighting between troops and armed supporters of al-Assir have transformed the city, which had been largely spared the violence plaguing border areas near Syria, into a combat zone.


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