DHAKA: The trial of four men accused of murdering former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri has begun at an unprecedented tribunal at The Hague.

The four, alleged members of the Syria-backed militant Shia movement Hezbollah, have not been arrested and are being tried in absentia, reports the BBC.

Hariri was killed by a massive car bomb in Beirut in 2005.

The killing polarised Lebanon and led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops. Hezbollah denies any involvement.

It instead says the assassination was part of an Israeli and US conspiracy.

Shortly before the trial was to start, a bomb blast was reported near a government building in the town of Hermel, a Hezbollah stronghold.

At least two people were killed and 15 wounded in the attack in the town, which is in the Bekaa Valley, near the northern border with Syria.

BDST: 1450 HRS, JAN 16, 2014
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor