A U.N.-backed tribunal has postponed the delivery of judgments in the trial of four members of the militant group Hezbollah charged with involvement in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

The move was a mark of respect to victims of the devastating explosion that rocked Beirut late Tuesday.

The verdicts were to have been read out in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's courtroom in the Netherlands on Friday, but will now be delivered on Aug. 18.

In a statement, the tribunal says the decision to delay Friday's court hearing was made ``out of respect for the countless victims of the devastating explosion that shook Beirut on Aug. 4'' and the three days of public mourning announced in Lebanon.

The court has expressed ``its solidarity with the Lebanese people in these difficult times.''