The ongoing war in Lebanon has led to widening rifts amongst Shiite Muslims. Some of them have begun to voice their concern regarding the huge price that the Shiite community is paying as a result of the war. They claim that the Shiite population of the country, mainly in south Lebanon and in southern suburbs of Beirut, is that which is paying the heaviest price amongst Lebanese for the war and Hizbullah's "adventures". According to them, Hizbullah's military operations have resulted in the further isolation of the nation's Shiites, as many Sunnis and Christians see the pro-Iranian group as not serving national interests of Lebanon.
Ironically, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for a cease-fire in Lebanon instead of cementing Hizbullah's support has encouraged more pragmatic stances within the Shiite camp and thus widened internal gaps regarding positions on the war. "We are calling for a cease-fire and ending this war," the Iranian leader on Wednesday told reporters after meetings with Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. "We are calling on the parties to sit down for talks without any preliminary conditions," he said, according to the AP. But while Ahmadinejad's move stemmed from his full support of Hizbullah, others in the Shiite sector have begun to distance themselves from the group.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who may currently be the most powerful figure in Lebanese politics since the war started, has begun questioning the wisdom of further obstinacy on the part of Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbullah's chief. Berri, the Shiite leader of the rival Amal group, is expected to play a pivotal role in coming weeks to end the crisis. According to the Daily Star newspaper, as the senior Shiite official in the country's regime he finds himself caught between his community and the state. For the moment, Nasrallah has only authorized the Speaker to negotiate on his behalf in the matter of a prisoner exchange and a cease-fire. However, Berri hinted in a recent interview that he will not serving as a broker for Hizbullah. Quoted also by the Beirut-based A Safir newspaper, Berri spoke on behalf of the "Lebanese people," who desire a cease-fire, without mentioning Hizbullah in this regard. According to Berri, the issue of utmost importance currently for Lebanon is an immediate ceasefire.
In this regard, sources have informed albawaba.com that senior political and religious figures in Jabal Amel, the Shiite stronghold in southern Lebanon, are considering an option to urgently dispatch a special mission to Damascus. In the Syrian capital they plan to discuss with Iranian officials ways to translate Ahmadinejad's call for a cease-fire into effective pressure on Hizbullah. It should be noted that diplomats told Reuters that Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, flew to Syria on Wednesday for talks with senior Syrian officials on the current crisis.
It is also important to note also that tensions have grown also between the two Shiite groups - Hizbullah and Amal - on the ground as well. Hizbullah officers claim that the proposed military cooperation on the battle ground is not beneficial; sources in Hizbullah fear that Amal was penetrated in recent years by the Israeli intelligence and thus places added risk on Hizbullah's activities.
Thus, according to Lebanese observers, Hizbullah's decision to act alone and "declare war" on Israel has added to the growing mistrust and lack of unity among Lebanon's Shiite Muslims.
