As fighting continues in civil war-torn Syria, the leader of the Lebanese Alawites — an offshoot of Shia Islam — has warned that the violence in Syria could spillover into Lebanon, and described rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad as “terrorists”. Lebanese Alawites are closely aligned to the al-Assad ruling regime in Syria who share the same religion. The leader of the Alawite community warned that unrest could engulf the entire country.