Lebanon ? Pushing ahead despite threats of street violence and unrest, a depleted and defiant Lebanese Cabinet on Monday unanimously approved a U.N. plan for an international court to try the killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The vote was another step toward clearing up a mystery that has shadowed and destabilized this country for more than a year, but it was also the latest stroke of political brinksmanship between two bitterly divided political factions in Lebanon.

A swelling standoff between the two groups pushed the members of the Hezbollah movement and its allies to quit the government over the weekend, and it is widely expected to spill into the streets in coming days. A apprehensive mood gripped Lebanon on Monday, as people braced for street demonstrations and civil unrest.

“Things have gotten out of control, and there’s nothing to pull everybody back to the negotiating table,” said Kerim Maqdisi, a political scientist at the American University at Beirut. “Both sides are putting on an extreme position, and there’s nothing to pull them back to the center.”

Anger had flared over the government’s determination to press forward with the vote on the court.