Clinton's remarks came in an interview with Lebanon's
An-Nahar newspaper, published Friday. It followed a threat by Hezbollah's
leader Hassan Nasrallah who on Thursday said his group will "cut the
hand" of anyone who tries to arrest its members for the 2005 assassination
of Rafik Hariri.
The Netherlands-based tribunal is expected to issue
indictments soon, and speculation that members of the Hezbollah could be
targeted has fueled fears of violence and a political crisis in the country.
Nasrallah, who claims the court is biased, has said he expects members of his
group to be indicted.
"Hezbollah should know that resorting once again to
violence in Lebanon runs completely counter to the interests of the Lebanese
people, the interests of the region, and of the United States," Clinton
said. "They should also know that if the goal of violence is to stop the
tribunal, it won't work," she added.
Hariri, Lebanon's most prominent politician after a 15-year
civil war ended in 1990, was killed by a truck bombing that ushered in major
political upheaval in the country. Immediately after the assassination,
suspicion fell on Damascus, leading to massive protests that led to the end of
Syria's nearly 30-year military presence in Lebanon.
Damascus and Hezbollah have denied having any role in the
killing.
Nasrallah has also urged Lebanese not to cooperate with the
probe. He says the court is an "Israeli project" and poisoned by
"false witnesses" who misled the investigation.
Clinton said "intimidation or threats" from
Hezbollah should not be tolerated. "The problem in Lebanon is not the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The problem is that some are threatening violence
in order to try to stop justice," she said in the interview.
The rising tensions in Lebanon are also affecting America's
relations with Syria. Clinton said Syria's behavior "has not met our hopes
and expectations" over the past 20 months.
In October, the American ambassador to the United Nations accused
Syria of working with Iran and Hezbollah to destabilize Lebanon.