The political crisis in Lebanon escalated Saturday as the U.S.-backed government approved an international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

The government's attempts to reach a compromise with the pro-Syrian camp led by Hezbollah appeared to fail Saturday as the UN-created court was approved despite Hezbollah's warnings of mass protests.

The tribunal is the newest conflict in a power struggle over Syria's influence in Lebanon. Opponents of Syria, mainly Christians and Sunni Muslims, control the government. The pro-Syrian camp, mainly Shiites, is trying to bring the government down.

Worries that more violence could tear apart the country's fragile sectarian truce grew this week when an anti-Syrian politician was assassinated.

More than 800,000 people who support the anti-Syrian bloc attended a mass rally at the funeral of the politician, Pierre Gemayel, on Thursday.

Similar numbers have turned out for Hezbollah protests, generating fear Hezbollah's threatened demonstrations could turn into street violence.

Fearing more slayings, some cabinet ministers have moved into the heavily guarded prime minister's building in downtown Beirut.

Hezbollah views the approval of the tribunal as a rejection of its demands for a greater representation in the cabinet.

The Shiite militant group and Lebanon's pro-Syrian president, Emile Lahoud, contend that the government is unconstitutional because constitution stipulates that the government must represent all of Lebanon's main communities.

Berri and Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah released a statement Friday threatening to use "all democratic and legal means" including mass protests to oust Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and gain enough power in the cabinet to veto government decisions.

Saniora suggested that if six pro-Hezbollah ministers who quit the government earlier this month return, the cabinet's vote on the tribunal could be delayed for a few days.

Parliament Speaker Nabil Berri, an ally of Hezbollah and a Syria supporter, met Saturday with anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians in an attempt to reach a compromise.

But the no agreement was reached and the cabinet approved a UN draft to create the tribunal. After the vote, Information Minister Ghazi Aridi read a statement that said Saniora insists the approval was not meant to be a provocation against Hezbollah and its allies.

Aridi underlined the government's "respect" for Hezbollah's opinion, but insisted, "We will not give up our goals."

Opponents of Syria, who accuse Damascus of executing the February 2005 assassination of Hariri, hope the tribunal will reveal the organizers. Syria denies any involvement in the massive blast, which killed Hariri along with 22 others.

The blast was the first in a series of attacks that killed five other Syrian opponents, including a daytime shooting on Tuesday. Many Lebanese blame Syria in all the killings, which Damascus denies.

The court will convene outside of Lebanon, with a majority of non-Lebanese judges, to try four Lebanese generals. The generals are top pro-Syrian security chiefs under pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud, including his Presidential Guard commander.

Accused of orchestrating Hariri's murder, the generals have been under arrest for 14 months.

Brig.-Gen. Assaf Shawkat, Syria's military intelligence chief and the brother-in-law of Syrian President Bashar Assad, has also been investigated in the blast. Shawkat has not been arrested.

With files from The Associated Press