A discreet push by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri for an Iranian religious edict (fatwa) authorizing Hezbollah to relinquish key weapons systems has exposed widening cracks within Lebanon’s Shiite political alliance, according to a well-informed diplomatic to Nidaa Al-Watan.

The source told the newspaper that the Shiite Hezbollah-Amal duo is no longer aligned in its approach to Lebanon’s role in the regional confrontation, with Amal increasingly charting a path that at times contradicts Hezbollah’s stance. At the heart of Berri’s concern, the source said, is Lebanon’s deepening exposure to the Iran-Israel conflict and its use as a bargaining card in Tehran’s negotiations with Washington.

The most sensitive of Berri’s three demands to Tehran was a request for a fatwa from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that would allow Hezbollah to surrender its precision-guided missiles and drone capabilities as part of a broader arrangement to end the ongoing conflict.

Such an edict, the source said, would give political and religious cover to a step that Hezbollah could not otherwise take unilaterally. In return, Berri reportedly told the Iranians he would take responsibility for securing U.S. approval for a deal that would bring the fighting to a complete halt, assuring them: “The Americans are with me.”

While the fatwa was the centerpiece of Berri’s outreach, his other demands underscored anxieties within Amal about Lebanon’s prolonged vulnerability. His first request was for Iran to fully shield Lebanon from any coming confrontation between Tehran and Israel, insisting the country not be used as a pressure lever in Iran-U.S. talks.

His third request focused on the growing humanitarian crisis inside Lebanon’s Shiite community. Berri called for immediate and substantial Iranian funding to support the tens of thousands of Shiites whose homes, livelihoods, and income sources were destroyed in the latest round of cross-border violence.

Tehran’s answer, according to the source, was “ambiguous.” Iran agreed only to provide funding and offered no clear response on the neutrality or fatwa requests; a silence that has stirred unease across Shiite political and religious circles. Many interpret Tehran’s lack of clarity as a message in itself, signaling Iran’s intention to retain Lebanon as a bargaining chip despite the steep costs borne by Lebanese communities.