Head of the Sidon-based Nasserist Party Osama Saad considered in a press conference on Wednesdy that the “incidents which took place Tuesday where a violation planned by Ahmad Al-Assir.

Head of the Sidon-based Nasserist Party Osama Saad considered in a press conference on Wednesdy that the “incidents which took place Tuesday were a violation planned by Ahmad Al-Assir and resulted in a number of casualties among civilians.”

Saad stressed that “what happened yesterday threatened civil peace in Sidon and the South, and formed an unprecedented provocation by the group, knowing that Assir had previously stated that the situation will burst soon, and one of his basic supporters demanded taking the Shiites out of sidon.”

Saad indicated that “Assir group had escalated its attacks on citizens as well as the Lebanese Army… And what happened yesterday was planned (by Assir) in advance in order to stimulate a response (from the other side), which would burst the situation in Sidon. However, Amal movement and Hezbollah leaderships’ awareness prevented Assir from achieving his goals."

In parallel, the Lebanese official assured that “the Nasserist Party did not make any military deployment in Sidon, as it was only watching the situation, while Al-Mustaqbal militants, as well as some “Islamic” groups and armed Syrian elements in Sidon took to the streets.”

Leader of the Nasserist Party said “the responsibility did not fall only on Assir, but on political, security, and religious powers which provided protection for Assir, and led to many material and life losses in Sidon.”

Despite all that, Saad indicated that he was not pessimistic about the situation in Sidon, “as Sidon, which resisted the Israeli occupation and its agents, and preserved its civil peace, is able to save the situation. However, this requires honesty from all parties, as some are making statements but acting in their contrary.”

Furthermore, Saad called for “putting an end to the policy of sectarian incitements, and recognizing the importance of Sidon being the capital of the South and containing the largest Palestinian camps in the South.”

“This requires protecting the religious and political diversity in the region, and confronting everyone trying to impose its own choices on people,” he stressed.

In conclusion, the Nasserist Party leader pointed out that his party will not remain silent if this situation continued, adding that “what is taking place in Sidon is not separated from the Lebanese and Syrian developments.”