Parliamentary defense committee session deferred due to absence of Ghosn, LAF representatives

       
The parliamentary defense committee session scheduled for today afternoon, was deferred until further notice due to the absence of caretaker Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn and representatives from the Lebanese Armed Forces.         

The committee was set to to follow up on the Abra incidents in light of ongoing investigations and surfacing evidence.    

Fighting in Sidon city began Sunday (23 June) after troops arrested a follower of hardline Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir follower.           

The army says the cleric's supporters opened fire without provocation on an army checkpoint. Official reports said at least 17 soldiers were killed and 50 were wounded in the fighting while more than 20 of al-Assir's supporters died in the battle, according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to reporters.         

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.