LEBANON'S violent political culture is about to be put under an international spotlight in the trial of four men accused of assassinating former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague is about to begin examining links between Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah and the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Hariri was being driven along the Beirut waterfront on February 14, 2005, when a massive bomb was detonated. It also killed 21 other people, injured scores of bystanders and damaged buildings as far as 100m away.

Prosecutors at the STL say the amount of explosives used was so great that those responsible wanted to do much more than just kill Hariri, they wanted to send a "terrifying message". By investigating who was behind the bombing they will determine what that message was, for whom it was intended - and whether it backfired. [Link]