President Bashar Assad of Syria and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia visited Lebanon on Friday to defuse fears of violence over upcoming indictments in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the son of the slain statesman, and President Michel Suleiman were at the airport to welcome Saudi King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Concern over break out of a new violence between Lebanon's Shiite and Sunni communities if the international tribunal investigating Hariri's death implicates Hezbollah, which is Syria's main ally in Lebanon, is high in the country.

The international tribunal investigating Hariri's death has not announced who will be charged, but the leader of Hezbollah said last week members of his group will be among those indicted.

In Beirut, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, Saudi King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held a meeting, but no details were released about Friday's one-day summit, although Hezbollah Cabinet ministers were also expected to take part.

Assad and Abdullah first met in Damascus p>After visiting Egypt, King Abdullah travelled to Syrian capital Damascus where he was welcomed by the Syrian President, on Thursday.

SANA, Syrian state-run news agency, said that the Saudi and Syrian had an agenda dominated with Lebanon and Palestine issues.

Later on Friday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia travelled to Lebanon.

Assad is visiting Lebanon for the first time since Hariri, father of current Prime Minister Saad Hariri, was assassinated in 2005, leading to a sharp downturn in relations between Damascus and Beirut.

Relations of the two countries have been on the mend since 2008, when diplomatic ties were established for the first time between Beirut and Damascus. Saad Hariri has made four trips to Syria in the past eight months.

Saudi and Syrian flags were on display throughout the capital along with huge portraits of the king and a welcome message.

Security was also tight ahead of the visit, with additional army and police deployed and some streets cordoned off.

Meanwhile, King Abdullah will be the first Saudi monarch to visit the country since 1957. He also attended the 2002 summit, but was crown prince at the time.