The village of Hatta, in the Sidon area, is a Shiite village with a mixed population that includes both Hezbollah and Amal Movement supporters. As in other Shiite areas that constitute Hezbollah’s social base, the organization use of civilian infrastructure in the village as a human shield for its military needs. However, Hatta does not have a homogeneous population that supports Hezbollah and depends on it.
On 5 January, the IDF struck several weapons depots and military infrastructure sites in the village. One of the main targets was an underground weapons storage facility. Prior to the strike, the IDF issued an evacuation warning. On 11 January, the underground site was struck again. This second strike took place after the Lebanese Army arrived near the site but did not act to dismantle it, as Hezbollah operatives had gathered around the warehouse. As a result, according to various reports, a violent confrontation developed between local Amal supporters—who backed the Lebanese Army—and local Hezbollah supporters. The confrontation began verbally and escalated into physical violence. The Lebanese Army intervened and separated the two camps.
The current political alliance of the so-called “Shiite duo” (Hezbollah and Amal), which at times appears unbreakable, does not necessarily reflect day-to-day relations within the Shiite population between the Amal camp and the Hezbollah camp—quite the opposite. Nabih Berri plays a dual game: ostensibly a statesman, but in practice responsible for ensuring that the Amal Movement remains a loyal partner to Hezbollah. Amal activists have even taken part in fighting against Israel, and dozens of them have been killed.
As can be seen, Amal supporters in the village of Hatta may be starting to realize that Hezbollah’s military presence in the village constitutes a problem. There are other areas containing Hezbollah military infrastructure where the Shiite population’s support is divided between Amal and Hezbollah. Will Amal supporters in those areas also reach a similar conclusion?
