The Special Tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is deciding whether to try in absentia four Hezbollah members charged with slaying the murdered Lebanese leader.

The tribunal, based in The Hague, made the announcement on Monday. The Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group has denied any involvement in the slaying.

The U.N.-backed tribunal for Lebanon identified the suspects in July as Salim Jamil Ayyash, Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabra.

The court has issued arrest warrants for the four, none of whom have been apprehended.

Judges with the tribunal can consider calling for a trial in absentia if the suspects are not arrested within 30 days of making their names public.

Mr. Hariri and 22 others were killed in a massive truck bombing in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.