Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah rejected the indictment issued by the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) of four of its members over the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005.

The STL has not yet named the four members officially, but Lebanon’s State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza said his office had received the indictments and four arrest warrants.

The STL later confirmed the indictments, stating that the judge “is satisfied that there is prima facie evidence for this case to proceed to trial”.

In a televised speech on 2 July, Nasrallah reacted to the indictment, rejecting the STL’s accusations, saying it was tantamount to an attack on the group and part of an Israeli plot, the UK’s BBC reports.

Saad Hariri, the former prime minister’s son, welcomed the indictments, describing them as a “historic moment” for Lebanon.

“We will not let them drag Lebanon towards strife or civil war,” said Nasrallah.