The Defense Office of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is set to include allegations by Bo Astrom to highlight the “flaws in the international investigation.”

An Nahar newspaper reported on Monday that the Astom's claims will be a rich material for the defense office, which will focus on the flaws of the investigation and to thwart off the theories adopted by Prosecutor Norman Farrell.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon trial is set to witness “prominent developments,” a March 14 MP linked to the trial told the Saudi daily al-Riyadh on Sunday.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri may make an appearance at the trial to issue a testimony in the assassination of his father, former PM Rafik Hariri, on February 14, 2005.

A meeting was held between al-Mustaqbal movement leader Saad Hariri and head of the movement's parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Saniora in the French capital Paris, An Nahar newspaper reported on Thursday.

According to the report, Saniora briefed Hariri during the meeting that was held on Wednesday night on the latest consultations with the Lebanese foes in light of the announcement of the start of the trial in the case of Ayyash et al. on Januray 16, 2014.

The Trial Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has scheduled the start of trial in the case of Ayyash et al. for Thursday, January 16, 2014, announced the STL in a statement on Tuesday.

It explained: “This decision has been made after consulting the parties to the case at the Trial Chamber’s last public hearing.”

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's accusation that militants linked to Riyadh were behind the deadly attack on the Iranian embassy last month drew a sharp retort from al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri.

Nasrallah  told OTV in an interview on Tuesday that militants with links to the Saudi intelligence were involved in the double suicide bombings that targeted the Iranian Embassy in Beirut's southern suburbs.

The Trial Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will hold a second Pre-Trial Conference on Monday, December 2, in preparation for the start of the trial in the Ayyash et al. Case, it announced in a statement on Tuesday.

The Pre-Trial Conference, which will be public, will begin at 3 p.m. Beirut time.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen completed the transfer of the entire file in the case of the 2005 assassination of former Premier RafikHariri to the Trial Chamber, announced the STL in a statement on Monday.

The case filed contains the evidence and all other documents that relate to the case.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen confirmed on Thursday an indictment against Hassan Habib Merhi who is accused of being involved in the February 14, 2005 Beirut attack that killed former Premier Rafik Hariri and 22 others.

The confirmed indictment and an arrest warrant were transmitted confidentially to the Lebanese authorities on August 6 so that they could search for, arrest and transfer the accused to STL custody, announced the tribunal in a statement on Thursday.

A new suspect linked to the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has been identified, reported the daily An Nahar on Tuesday.

It said that the identity of the suspect was determined based on the initial findings of former United Nations investigator in the case Detlev Mehlis.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon has “convincing” evidence that Iran and the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad are involved in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, reported The New Yorker magazine.

It said that Hizbullah likely “pulled the trigger” in the assassination, but could not have done so without Syria and Iran's blessing and logistic support.