In the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Hizbullah continued to try to bring the STL issue onto the cabinet agenda. Since its formation in November 2009, the coalition government of Mr Hariri has managed to remain intact by avoiding discussion of the STL. Hizbullah's efforts were intended to bring down the government. It sought to do this by demanding that the cabinet discuss the issue of the "false witnesses" to the STL because its says their evidence was not credible. These "false witnesses" are more than 30 people said to have provided misleading statements to the STL and its predecessor, the UN International Independent Investigation Commission. If the cabinet voted on the issue, it would split, bringing down the government. To prevent this, Mr Suleiman and Mr Hariri have sought over recent months to keep the issue off the cabinet agenda. In the end, Hizbullah forced it onto the agenda of a December 15th cabinet meeting, but there was no discussion, nor a vote. It was the first cabinet meeting since November 10th, with reportedly more than 300 items on the agenda, including vital issues such as the 2010 budget, renewing the tenure of Riad Salameh as governor of Banque du Liban (the central bank), plans to restructure the electricity sector and a series of senior security appointments.

By early January it was expected that the STL would issue its indictments sometime in the first quarter. In mid-December, in an interview with the BBC, Michael Williams, the UN special co-ordinator for Lebanon, said that he did not expect any indictments to be issued before February.