Beirut, Lebanon ? The prospect of renewed chaos loomed over Lebanon on Saturday after the Hezbollah movement and its Shiite allies quit the government, plunging the country into a political crisis that could quickly spill into the streets.

The resignations of all five Shiite ministers – two from Hezbollah, two from the Amal movement and one independent – from the Cabinet of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora were announced hours after the collapse of talks aimed at soothing rising sectarian tensions in the wake of last summer’s devastating war with Israel.

It also coincided with the finalization of a draft UN resolution that will establish an international tribunal to investigate those responsible for the death of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, whose February 2005 assassination was widely blamed on Syria. Lebanon’s Cabinet is due to meet Monday to approve the draft.

Siniora later said he would not accept the resignations, leaving unclear the fate of the U.S.-backed government elected to office in the wake of the popular anti-Syrian uprising that followed Hariri’s assassination. According to the Cabinet’s rules, eight ministers would need to resign to topple the government.