Hariri probe to name 2 Hezbollah suspects?

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- At least two members of Shiite resistance movement Hezbollah may be indicted for the 2005 assassination of a former Lebanese leader, sources said.

The U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon is widely expected to wrap up its investigation and hand out indictments for the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri by the end of the year.

The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources that the newspaper says are familiar with the tribunal, reports that between two and six members of Hezbollah will be indicted for the assassination.

The report names Hezbollah military commander Mustafa Badreddine as a top suspect. His brother in law, Imad Mugniyah, was on the FBI's most-wanted list before his death in a bombing in Damascus in 2008.

Hezbollah during the summer said it expected the indictment but denied playing a role in the plot. It says the Israelis were tied to the assassination, something Israeli officials describe as "ridiculous."

Washington, which sees Beirut as a key partner in the Middle East, has expanded its support for the STL in recent weeks, allocating $10 million to help the court work.

The tribunal as part of its standard practice didn't comment to the media on reports that indictments were pending.