Amal Movement
Amal is Lebanon's oldest Shia political movement and one of the country's most powerful parties. Led by Nabih Berri, who has served as Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament for decades, Amal is a rival and uneasy partner of Hezbollah within Lebanon's Shia community. In June 2026, Amal operatives reportedly clashed with Hezbollah in Sidon over the placement of rocket launchers in residential areas.
What is Amal?
Amal — an Arabic acronym for Afwaj al-Muqawama al-Lubnaniya (Lebanese Resistance Battalions), and also the Arabic word for "hope" — was founded in 1974 by Imam Musa al-Sadr as a social and political movement representing Lebanon's historically marginalized Shia community. After al-Sadr's mysterious disappearance in Libya in 1978, Nabih Berri assumed leadership and transformed Amal into a mainstream parliamentary force. Berri has served as Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament continuously since 1992, making him one of the most durable figures in Lebanese politics.
Amal and Hezbollah: Rivals within the same community
Amal and Hezbollah both draw their base from Lebanon's Shia population, but they represent distinct visions. Amal is a secular nationalist movement oriented toward Lebanese state institutions; Hezbollah is an Islamist organization with a military wing and deep ties to Iran. The two movements have cooperated electorally and politically — most notably in the "Shia duo" alliance — but tensions over resources, territory, and strategy are longstanding. Armed clashes between the two occurred during Lebanon's civil war in the late 1980s.
Amal's role in Lebanese politics and diplomacy
Berri's speakership gives Amal outsized institutional leverage. He has historically served as a back-channel interlocutor in negotiations involving Hezbollah, Israel, and Western powers. In the current conflict context, Berri has been cited as proposing a full ceasefire and simultaneous withdrawal of Israeli forces and Hezbollah from southern Lebanon — a diplomatic posture that distinguishes Amal from Hezbollah's more confrontational stance.
June 2026: Clashes over rocket launchers in Sidon
On June 5, 2026, a desk-reviewed report reported that Amal and Hezbollah operatives clashed in the Bisserie (Bisariyeh) area of Sidon. The confrontation reportedly centered on Hezbollah's placement of rocket launchers among residential homes — a practice that local residents and Amal reportedly opposed as endangering civilians. The report is unverified and based on a single account, but it reflects a recurring pattern of friction between the two movements over Hezbollah's use of civilian infrastructure for military purposes.