19:34, 30-Sep-2017
Lebanon Verdict: Who is Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir?
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So who is Ahmad al-Assir and what did he do? Ahmad al-Assir is described by the Lebanese government as a Sunni militant cleric. He rose to prominence after the Syrian War broke out six years ago, for his sermons criticizing Lebanon's Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah and Syria's al-Assad government.
Al-Assir's aggressive rhetoric has helped deepen sectarian rifts between Sunnis and Shi'ites in the region, and helped trigger several clashes, including the Sidon clashes in 2013.