SIDON, Lebanon, June 24 (UPI) -- At least 17 Lebanese soldiers and two civilians were killed in two days of clashes between the army and Sunni radicals in Sidon, Lebanon, officials said.
An estimated 65 people had been wounded.
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Lebanese commandos seized a complex belonging to Sunni leader Sheik Ahmad Assir in the coastal city Monday, The Daily Star reported. He was heard urging his gunmen "to fight to the death," the newspaper said.
They had been barricaded in the compound since Sunday.
Assir is a supporter of the rebels seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad and an outspoken critic of Hezbollah, the report said.
The violence erupted Sunday after supporters affiliated with Assir attacked a military checkpoint, the newspaper reported.
