Hezbollah Warns of Fight Over Hariri Tribunal Decision

The leader of the militant Lebanese group Hezbollah says it will “cut the hand” of anyone who tries to arrest members of the party.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech Thursday that the group will not accept accusations against its fighters or leaders in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The United Nations is leading an international tribunal investigating the murder.

Media reports speculate indictments could be issued soon and are targeting members of Hezbollah. The group has called on Lebanese officials not to cooperate with the probe, saying the investigation is biased against Hezbollah.

But U.S. Senator John Kerry vowed this week in Beirut that Lebanese factions will not impede the probe.

Kerry, who heads the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke Monday in Beirut following talks with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of the slain leader.

Kerry said the Lebanese government does not have the power to change the tribunal. It was created by the United Nations at the request of Lebanese officials.

Kerry says the tribunal is not targeting a specific group, but rather individuals who could be tied to the murder.

Hezbollah shares power in Lebanon’s fragile unity government. The government launched reconciliation talks between rival political parties in 2008, following deadly sectarian clashes that lasted more than a year.

Some information in this story was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.