BEIRUT (AP) — A hardline Lebanese Sunni Muslim cleric has announced the end of a month long sit-in to demand the disarmament of the country's powerful militant Hezbollah group.

Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir says he is ending his protest after receiving "guarantees" from officials that his grievances will be seriously studied.

Al-Assir and his supporters had set up tents blocking a main road in the southern coastal city of Sidon for 35 days as part of an ongoing sit-in to protest the formidable weapons arsenal of the Iran-backed Shiite Hezbollah group.

Lebanese security forces opened the road to traffic early Thursday.

Hezbollah's weapons arsenal is a divisive issue in Lebanon and many politicians are calling for the group's disarmament.