Assassination tribunal OKd, igniting anger

The U.S.-backed government approved an international tribunal for suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, overriding the objections of the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah amid a political crisis that threatens to plunge Lebanon into violence.

The court is a major source of contention between the government led by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the opposition led by pro-Syria Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s Syria-allied president denounced the vote, as did Hezbollah officials, who warned that the Shiite Muslim militant group would go ahead with mass street protests seeking to force the government from power.