BEIRUT-The leader of Hizbollah said Thursday his group will "cut the hand" of anyone who tries to arrest members of the party in the death of a former Lebanese prime minister, an explicit warning that comes amid escalating fears of violence in the country. Hassan Nasrallah said the group will not accept any accusation against any of its fighters or leaders for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Netherlands-based tribunal investigating the killing is expected to issue indictments in the coming months. Nasrallah said Hizbollah cannot "accept or live with" any accusation against the group's fighters or leaders. "Those who imagine that we will allow the arrest or detention of any of our fighters are mistaken," he told thousands of supporters in south Beirut through video link. "We will cut the hand that reaches out for any one of them." The Hizbollah leader spoke amid rising tension in Lebanon over upcoming indictments in the assassination of Hariri. The warning also puts more pressure on the Western-backed administration of Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri, the son of the slain leader, because many fear the tensions could bring down the government. Hariri's assassination in a truck bombing along Beirut's Mediterranean waterfront on Feb. 14, 2005, transformed Lebanon and the country's relationship with its larger neighbor, Syria, which is a main patron of the Shiite Hizbollah. Immediately after the killing, suspicion fell on Damascus - leading to massive protests that ushered in the end of Syria's nearly 30-year military presence and domination in Lebanon. Damascus and Hizbollah have denied having any role in the killing. Nasrallah has said he expects members of his group to be indicted, but urged Lebanese not to cooperate with the probe. He claims the court is biased against Hizbollah and poisoned by "false witnesses" who misled the investigation. On Thursday, he said the group will defend itself. "Those who think that the resistance will not defend itself and its dignity against any accusation are mistaken," he said. He did not elaborate.
