BEIRUT -- Anti-Syrian Christian leader Samir Geagea said yesterday efforts to topple Lebanon's Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora could lead to assassination attempts against cabinet ministers.

Geagea, a former militia chief whose Lebanese Forces party has one minister in the cabinet, said Syria was determined to stop the formation of a UN-backed tribunal to try suspects in the killing of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri.

He did not say who might try to kill ministers.

Lebanon plunged deeper into crisis this month when six ministers, including all five Shia Muslims, quit the cabinet after the collapse of all-party talks over giving the pro-Syrian Hezbollah and its allies a decisive say in government.

All the remaining ministers are members of, or close to, the anti-Syrian majority coalition.

If the government lost three more ministers, it would automatically fall.

"There are no three ministers who will resign of course, but someone might think of 'sacking them', in quotes, by pushing them to a final resignation. Thus the government falls. Therefore we have big fears over the ministers," he said.

"I think there might be operations targeting ministers and I take this opportunity to say it publicly and especially to tell the ministers to take all precautions," Geagea said in a telephone interview from his north Lebanon home.

Siniora's depleted government approved this week draft UN statutes for the Hariri tribunal. The pro-Syrian camp, which includes the Christian president and Shia parliament speaker, denounced the move, saying the session was unconstitutional.

The UN Security Council is expected to adopt the tribunal document next week and return it to Beirut for ratification, although Russia, a friend of Damascus, has questioned the legitimacy of its approval by Siniora's government.

The anti-Syrian majority says the aim of the ministerial resignations was to help Damascus by blocking the tribunal. The opposition denies this, saying it backs a tribunal in principle.

A UN commission investigating Hariri's death in a suicide truck bombing in February 2005 has implicated senior Lebanese and Syrian security officials. Syria denies involvement.

Hezbollah and its allies have said they will take to the streets to press their demands. Geagea said his camp welcomed all peaceful, lawful and constitutional means to protest but suggested smaller pro-Syrian groups could incite violence.

"Unfortunately there are some small sides, not the big ones, who might go this far because they are still linked to the Syrian regime," he said.

"It is very clear that this regime has taken a decision to try to stop the international court even through causing strife in Lebanon."

The special court will also try suspects in the killings of three other anti-Syrian politicians and journalists and the attempted assassination of three others since October 2004.

Geagea said he and his allies would not bow to the demands of Hezbollah and its Shia ally Amal for an effective veto in government but he said efforts to find a compromise continued.

But he hinted the crisis could not go on forever, saying that Siniora, who has rejected the resignations of the six ministers, might eventually have to replace them.

"After we exhaust all our attempts, contacts and presentations, if Hezbollah and Amal stick to the resignations then we might look into it (appointing new Shia ministers). But for now let's try everything else," Geagea said.

l A statement posted yesterday on an Internet website used by Al Qaeda's branch in Iraq called upon Lebanese Sunnis to confront Hezbollah which it accused of wanting to dominate the country.

"We call on our brothers in Lebanon ... to face up to Hezbollah and the hatred of the rafidha (a pejorative term for Shias) and prepare for a confrontation," said the statement from the 'Mujahedin of Lebanon'.

The tone and wording of the statement is similar to that of messages from the Al Qaeda branch in Iraq.

"Today they want to dominate Lebanon in its totality, allying themselves with the crusaders in Lebanon, to definitively eliminate the Sunni community. The rafidha should know we are ready to combat them," said the statement, which also slammed Iran and Syria.

The statement accused Hezbollah of being under the control of Syria, which it charged had opened the door to Iranian influence in the country.

A message last week purportedly from the head of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, called on Sunnis to stand up to Iran, Syria and Hezbollah.

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