BEIRUT—From his tiled terrace in the foothills overlooking Beirut, Mohammed Dayekh is watching a place he once loved go up in flames.

       A 34-year-old director and screenwriter with jet black hair and tattooed forearms, Dayekh grew up in southern Beirut. Four years ago, he moved to the hills above the city after Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia group, tightened its grip on his old neighborhood and made it more conservative. More women started wearing the Iranian-style chador instead of Lebanese-style headscarves, and men talked up Tehran’s influence.

       Unlock Premium Insights in This Article

       Take your experience further with Mint Premium- access thought-provoking opinions, expert analysis and in-depth insights

       Subscribe now Already subscribed? Login

       Premium benefits

       30+ articles from print edition and premium publication daily

       Present across social media apps to keep you updated

       In-depth Market Reports from leading experts

       Most loved Mint podcasts on 35+ topics

       Sharp insights supported by simple data and visuals

       Unlock 30+ well researched

       and bias free premium articles daily

       Access to global insights with

       100+ exclusive articles from

       international publications

       Get complimentary access to

       3+ investment based apps

       TRENDLYNE Get One Month GuruQ plan at Rs 1

       FINOLOGY Free finology subscription for 1 month.

       SMALLCASE 20% off on all smallcases

       5+ subscriber only newsletters

       specially curated by the experts

       Free access to e-paper and

       WhatsApp updates

       Not convinced yet?

       Share your contact details and

       we will get in touch with you…

       = 48 && event.charCode Confirm

       Thanks for sharing your number