Hezbollah forces Lebanon govt collapse

BEIRUT — Lebanon's government collapsed on Wednesday after the powerful Shiite party Hezbollah and its allies resigned from the cabinet over a UN probe into the assassination of former premier Rafiq Hariri.Energy Minister Gebran Bassil told a press conference 10 ministers had resigned because of a long-running dispute with Prime Minister Saad Hariri -- son of the slain leader -- over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.An 11th minister close to President Michel Sleiman also quit the 30-member cabinet, thus providing the minimum number of resignations needed to topple the government.The collapse came as Hariri was holding talks in Washington with US President Barack Obama on the crisis and plunged Lebanon into its worst political crisis since 2008.Hariri made no comment after the talks but headed to Paris, where he was to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday, his office said.The White House accused Hezbollah of acting out of "fear" and commended Hariri "for his steadfast leadership and efforts to reach peace, stability, and consensus in Lebanon under difficult circumstances." For months, Hezbollah and its allies have been pressing Hariri to disavow the STL on the grounds that it is part of a US-Israeli plot.On Tuesday, Hezbollah's camp, which is backed by Iran and Syria, had given the Western-backed Hariri until Wednesday to convene a cabinet meeting on the tribunal.According to unconfirmed press reports, the STL is poised to indict senior Hezbollah members in connection with Rafiq Hariri's 2005 assassination, a move the militant party vehemently rejects.Environment Minister Mohammad Rahhal, who is close to Hariri, told AFP Hezbollah's decision to quit the government was aimed at paralysing the state and forcing the premier to reject the tribunal."They think that by piling the pressure on him, Hariri will bend but they are mistaken," Rahhal said.The Sunni premier has discussed the crisis in recent days in New York with Saudi King Abdullah, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sarkozy and UN Secretary

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