Lt . Gen. Ali al - Hassan was a top intelligence official in Lebanon . Aligned with an anti - Syrian , anti - Hezbollah faction , he led many soldiers into assassinations . Fellow Sunnis saw him as an hero , while he was despised by others . A scholar linked to the group calls al - Hassan ' ` ` ' '' who will be difficult to replace .
Brig . Gen. Wissam al-Hassan was a top intelligence official in Lebanon . Aligned with an anti-Syrian , anti-Hezbollah faction , he led many probes into assassinations . Fellow Sunnis saw him as an icon , while he was despised by others . A scholar linked to the opposition calls al-Hassan a `` master '' who will be difficult to replace .