Dr. Noa Riven: The independent voices in the heart of Hezbollah and Amal's strongholds – Tyre and Nabatieh
Dr. Noa Riven analyzes independent civil initiatives in Tyre and Nabatieh, strongholds of Hezbollah and Amal. The article covers petitions to remove military activity, the participation of independent lists in the 2025 elections, and the 2019 protests, showing that despite political dominance, independent voices exist in the space.
Dr. Noa Riven analyzes independent civil initiatives in the cities of Tyre and Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, the power bases of Hezbollah and Amal. The article covers petitions from 2026 calling for the cities to be declared "open cities" without military activity, and for the deployment of the Lebanese army. It describes the municipal elections of May 2025, in which independent lists such as "Nabatieh Deserves to Live" and "Tyre My City" ran against the joint list of Amal and Hezbollah, although the latter won. The article also mentions the October 2019 protests, in which direct criticism was voiced against Hezbollah and Amal, and the dismissal of Sheikh Ali al-Amin in 2008 after he criticized Hezbollah. The conclusion is that despite the political and social dominance of the two organizations, there are centers of independent initiative and action in the space.