Lebanon's caretaker prime minister said Thursday he will seek the post again, one week after the militant group Hezbollah toppled his government and sparked fears that the country's political crisis could descend into street battles.
Saad Hariri's Western-backed government fell last week over a dispute linked to a UN tribunal investigating the assassination of his father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. Many fear that Hezbollah - widely expected to be indicted by the court - will react violently if accused.
In a televised address, Hariri said he would continue efforts to solve the crisis diplomatically. The most recent talks, involving Qatar and Turkey, failed to reach a compromise.
"We will go to the consultations and we will give our opinion while committed to my nomination for the prime minister's post," the 40-year-old said, speaking in front of a poster of his father, who was killed in a massive truck bombing along Beirut's waterfront in 2005.
He also appealed for calm, saying: "Any drop of blood that falls from any Lebanese citizen is more important to me than any post."
Lebanese special police forces tightened security around the government palace and other official buildings Thursday amid growing fears that the country was headed toward violence.
A senior security official confirmed to The Associated Press that the security measures in and around Beirut stem from "concerns of movements on the ground by some parties." The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Special police forces were seen hauling cement barriers around the government house in Beirut and putting up reinforcements around government buildings and banks. Armored personnel carriers deployed to many areas of the city.
The new measures follow the departure from Beirut of Qatari and Turkish mediators after two days of talks that apparently failed to resolve the differences between Lebanon's main rival factions and bring them back together in a coalition government.
Hezbollah denies any role in Rafik Hariri's killing and forced the collapse of the government last week when Saad Hariri refused to renounce the tribunal and pull Lebanon's funding for the court.
The militant group says the tribunal is a conspiracy by Israel and the United States. There are concerns that supporters of the group may take to the streets, setting the stage for sectarian fighting similar to Shiite-Sunni street clashes that killed 81 people in 2008.
ariri was Lebanon's most prominent Sunni leader.
The collapse of the Western-backed government was a blow to the United States and its Arab allies, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Syria and Saudi Arabia - who back rival camps in Lebanon - had for months been trying to find a settlement to the crisis. When those efforts failed, ministers of Hezbollah and their allies pulled out of the unity Cabinet, toppling the government.