No evidence of involvement by Hizbollah in Hariri's killing

There is no evidence that the leadership of the Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim group Hizbollah, or the Syrian government, were involved in the 2005 bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al Hariri, a judge said on Tuesday.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is reading the verdict in the trial of four Hezbollah members charged with conspiracy to kill Hariri and 21 others.

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"The trial chamber is of the view that Syria and Hizbollah may have had motives to eliminate Mr Hariri and his political allies, however there is no evidence that the Hizbollah leadership had any involvement in Mr Hariri's murder and there is no direct evidence of Syrian involvement," said Judge David Re, reading a summary of the court's 2,600 page decision.

This file photo shows the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (left) attends a meeting at the Parliament in Beirut. AP

Earlier, A UN-backed tribunal began handing down its long-awaited verdict on Tuesday on the 2005 murder of Lebanon's former premier Rafic Hariri, opening with a minute's silence for victims of a huge explosion that devastated Beirut two weeks ago.

Four alleged members of the powerful group Hizbollah are on trial in absentia at the court in the Netherlands over a suicide bombing in the Lebanese capital 15 years ago that killed Sunni billionaire Hariri and 21 other people.

The judgment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon was initially scheduled for August 7, but was postponed until Tuesday after a colossal fertiliser warehouse explosion in Beirut on August 4 that killed 177 people and deepened political tensions in the country.

Hundreds of thousands of mourners join the funeral procession of Lebanon's slain Rafiq Hariri in central Beirut. File/AFP

Presiding judge David Re called on the court to observe a "minute's silence to remember the victims of this catastrophe, those who lost their lives, those who were maimed or injured, their families, those who were made homeless."

Hariri's son Saad, himself a former Lebanese prime minister, was in the heavily-secured court for the reading out of the judgment, which was expected to take several hours.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has refused to hand over the four defendants, and the case relies almost entirely on mobile phone records with prosecutors allege prove the plot to kill Hariri.

Mourners gather on the grave of slain former prime minister Rafiq Hariri in downtown Beirut.File/AFP

Salim Ayyash, 56, is accused of leading the team that carried out the bombing, which involved a truck packed full of explosives that detonated near Hariri's motorcade.

Assad Sabra, 43, and Hussein Oneissi, 46, allegedly sent a fake video to the Al-Jazeera news channel claiming responsibility on behalf of a made-up group.

Hassan Habib Merhi, 54, is accused of general involvement in the plot.

Agencies