“Beware of getting involved in discord between you or among fellow citizens, be they Muslims or Christians,” Qabbani told worshipers on the first day of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Addressing a congregation of Muslims at Mohammed Al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut on Thursday, the grand Mufti said “Don’t kill each other or shed the blood of one another.”

He also warned against falling into a plot which is feared to escalate Sunni-Shia strife.

“Beware of the major strife being prepared for you by your enemy to turn you against each other and burn and destroy your homeland Lebanon,” he said.

He also called on Sunnis and Shias not to allow politics to divide them, saying, “Unify ranks and rhetoric, and bridge the gap between you.”

Qabbani urged Sunni Lebanese officials to adopt a united Muslim stance and unify Muslim ranks amid the turmoil in the Middle East which has spilled over into Lebanon.

“Keep them away from sliding into discord and conflict with each other or with others,” he urged Sunni politicians. “Don’t become carried away with power and prestige.”

Lebanon has recently plunged into sectarian clashes after a new wave of fighting erupted in Sidon between Sunni militants and shia fighters over the ongoing crisis in Syria.

Tensions were erupted by a hard line hardline Cleric Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir who is on run after Lebanese army took the control of the port city of Sidon and waged a heavy blow to his Salafi locals last month.

MRKD/BA