Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will visit Lebanon together on Friday to ease political tension over a UN tribunal set up after the 2005 killing of Lebanese statesman Rafik al-Hariri.

"The visit of King Abdullah and President Assad, who are coming together on Friday, will be an answer for all the questions about stability in Lebanon," Nohad al-Machnouk, a member of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri's parliamentary bloc, told Reuters on Thursday.

Saudi officials had said King Abdullah would hold talks with Assad in Damascus before heading to Beirut. Syrian officials have not confirmed that Assad would accompany him to Lebanon.

The king was expected to press Assad to use his influence over Lebanon's Iranian- and Syrian-backed Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah, whose leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has condemned the UN tribunal set up to try suspects in the Hariri killing.

Nasrallah said on Sunday he expected members of his group to be indicted by the tribunal, which he condemned as an "Israeli project". Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the bombing that killed Hariri, who was a close Saudi ally.

Any indictment of Hezbollah members would severely strain Lebanon's unity government, which is led by Hariri's son Saad and includes Hezbollah ministers.

The Lebanese prime minister, who initially blamed Syria for his father's death, has since mended fences with Damascus and has made four trips to the Syrian capital for talks with Assad.

(REUTERS)