Against this backdrop of deepening tensions, Amal and Hezbollah could hardly remain immune to the growing divisions. Although the two parties have for years been known as the “Shiite tandem,” they are now making big efforts not to hide their differences, or to overcome them — or at least to prevent them from spreading further.Following the so-called “war of brothers,” which was fought mainly in Iqlim al-Touffah between 1988- 1990, the two parties reached an agreement, under Iranian and Syrian patronage, to remain united and avoid weakening the Shiite community as a whole. The agreement held over the years, reinforced by a sort of undeclared role distribution: Amal became the main Shiite force within the state and its institutions, while Hezbollah settled for a more limited share so that, under the agreement, it could focus on armed...
Against this backdrop of deepening tensions, Amal and Hezbollah could hardly remain immune to the growing divisions. Although the two parties have for years been known as the “Shiite tandem,” they are now making big efforts not to hide their differences, or to overcome them — or at least to prevent them from spreading further.Following the so-called “war of brothers,” which was fought mainly in Iqlim al-Touffah between 1988- 1990, the two parties reached an agreement, under Iranian and Syrian patronage, to remain united and avoid weakening the Shiite community as a whole. The agreement held over the years, reinforced by a sort of undeclared role distribution: Amal became the main Shiite force within the state and its institutions, while Hezbollah settled for a more limited share so that, under the agreement, it could focus on...
