The United Nations Security Council has approved a resolution to unilaterally establish an international tribunal to prosecute suspects over the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Last night's vote was 10-0 with five abstentions - Russia, China, South Africa, Indonesia and Qatar.
Lebanese prime minister Fuad Saniora asked the council earlier this month to establish the tribunal.
He cited the refusal of opposition-aligned parliament speaker Nabih Berri to convene a session to ratify the statutes to create the tribunal, which have already been approved by his government and the United Nations.
The resolution gives the Lebanese parliament a last chance to establish the tribunal itself. If it does not act by June 10th, the UN-Lebanon agreement will automatically "enter into force", creating a tribunal outside Lebanon with a majority of international judges and an international prosecutor.
The tribunal will be established under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which deals with threats to international peace and can be militarily enforced.
The Russians, Chinese, South Africans, Indonesians and Qataris all objected to putting the resolution under Chapter 7, saying it is unnecessary because all UN Security Council resolutions are legally binding.
Britain, the United States and France - who drafted the resolution - disagreed and insisted Chapter 7 must be included.
The suicide truck bombing that killed Mr Hariri and 22 others in Beirut in February 2005 sparked huge protests against Syria, which was widely seen as culpable.
Syria denied involvement but was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, ending a 29-year presence.
The issue of an international tribunal has since fuelled a deep political conflict between Mr Saniora's Western-backed government and the Syrian-backed, Hizbullah-led opposition.