BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is part of a conspiracy targeting the Lebanese resistance, the deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah said.
Lebanon is bracing for imminent indictments from the STL in its investigation into the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Hezbollah is widely expected to be implicated in the plot, though leaders of the Shiite movement said they have evidence to suggest Israel is connected to the slaying.
Naim Qassem, the deputy leader of Hezbollah, told an Arab-language newspaper Wednesday it was looking to Prime Minister Saad Hariri to stop the "farce of accusation" against his movement.
"We are not asking for a statement from Hariri, but for action," Hezbollah's al-Manar quoted him as saying.
He went on to say "all possibilities" were on the table when considering developments after the STL releases its findings, which could happen before the end of the year.
"We are not discussing the issue of an indictment, but rather a conspiratorial step against Hezbollah," he added. "We cannot deal with the matter naively as some are attempting."
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut in October updated its travel advisory for U.S. citizens as the STL could issue indictments by the end of the year.
"Lebanese political leaders have warned publicly that the tribunal's findings could spark civil unrest or other violence," the advisory read.
