As discontent within the Shiite population about the suffering from the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian factions grew, so did the tensions between the Amal Movement - the dominant Shia-party - and the Palestinian militants. The power struggle was exacerbated by the fact that the PLO supported Saddam Hussein's camp during the Iraq-Iran-War, whereas Amal sided with Teheran. Eventually, the political polarisation between the former allies escalated into violent clashes in many villages of Southern Lebanon, including the Tyre area.