It was Fadel Shaker who preoccupied the minds of the Lebanese throughout the month of March. His real name is Abdul Rahman Shamandar, born in Sidon and holder of both the Lebanese and Palestinian nationalities. Since 1998, Shaker has been tremendously famous in Lebanon as a singer with a distinguished warm voice performing romantic melodies.
He garnered great fame both on the Lebanese and Arab artistic scenes, until he announced his retirement in 2012 to join the faction of fugitive Lebanese Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir. Assir perpetrated attacks against the Lebanese army in the town of Abra, on Sidon’s outskirts, in 2013, leading to clashes that left the Lebanese army with 18 dead and 150 wounded soldiers, prior to Assir’s movement being completely eliminated.
