The trial of those accused of killing former prime minister Rafik Hariri provides a rare chance at justice for a country more used to impunity for political assassinations.

But analysts say the proceedings are unlikely to have much of an impact on the country for now, with the consequences of the bloody war in neighboring Syria overshadowing the trial.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced on Saturday that he will attend the opening session of the trial of the alleged killers of his father, late premier Rafik Hariri, on January 16 in The Hague.

“Hariri will head a March 14 delegation to attend the opening session of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,” radio Voice of Lebanon (93.3) reported on Saturday afternoon.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Norman Farrell has hinted that new sorts of evidence will appear during the trial of four Hizbullah members in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination case next week.

In an interview with An Nahar daily published on Saturday, Farrell said the details of the evidence will be made public during the opening of the trial next Thursday.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has said the trial of the suspects in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination next week was an important step to achieve justice as he warned that the absence of a new government in Lebanon could lead to a “political vacuum.”

In remarks to reporters in New York, Ban said Thursday that he was looking forward for the start of the trial against four Hizbullah members in absentia at the seat of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague.

The Trial Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will hold a third Pre-Trial Conference on Thursday 9 January in preparation for the start of the trial in the Ayyash et al. Case, announced the STL in a statement on Monday.

The Pre-Trial Conference, which will be public, will begin at 10:30 AM (Central European Time).

Several prominent March 14 politicians and media figures, who oppose Syria's regime and its ally Hizbullah, have been threatened, the state-run National News Agency reported on Sunday.

The report comes less than a fortnight after a car bombing in central Beirut killed eight people including anti-Syria former finance minister and member of the March 14 coalition Mohammed Shatah.

The United States has welcomed Lebanon’s decision to fulfill its 2013 funding obligations to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, lauding caretaker Premier Najib Miqati on his strong leadership.

“We recognize and commend Prime Minister Miqati’s strong leadership in ensuring that the government met this important commitment,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said in a statement on Monday.

Politicians, clergymen, diplomats, civil society activists and grieving relatives converged on Mohammed al-Amin mosque in downtown Beirut on Saturday to extend their condolences to the family of former Finance Minister Mohammed Shatah.

President Michel Suleiman and caretaker Premier Najib Miqati were at the helm of top officials who condoled the family and the leader of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc former PM Fouad Saniora.

The deadly car bomb that ripped through downtown Beirut shook buildings and rattled windows, triggering fear among many people that "nowhere is safe" anymore in Lebanon.

The country has seen a rise in attacks linked to the fighting in neighboring Syria, but Friday's explosion in the heart of Beirut brought the unrest even closer to home.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned on Friday the assassination of his adviser Mohammed Shatah, saying that Lebanon lost moderate figure who believed in peace and an independent Lebanon.

He said in a statement: “Shatah's murderers are the same ones who assassinated former Premier Rafik Hariri.”