NNA - Lebanese Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani, said in a letter addressed on Monday to the Lebanese people that the fast-moving events in Sidon and Tripoli and tho incidents spread across the Lebanese territory, aim to distract the Lebanese army with internal side-battles and divert it from its key mission to maintain stability in the country.



"Therefore, we seriously warn the Lebanese of the outcome of Sidon's events and the expansion of the battles in all Lebanese regions."



Qabbani added that the attack on the Lebanese Army and the calls to defect from it was a crime against Lebanon and the Sunni community.



"Fighting against the Lebanese Army is unacceptable under any pretext whatsoever," he said, holding accountable those who killed officers and soldiers.



"The distress calls from citizens trapped in their homes in and around Sidon are not to be neglected. We must facilitate the task of the army to restore security and stability in Sidon, Tripoli, the Bekaa and all Lebanon."



In the same context, the Mufti of the Republic contacted the Lebanese Army Chief and paid condolences to the families of the martyrs who died in the clashes, wishing speedy recovery to the injured.



============D.K.