A Syrian official said Hariri should “show the documents he claims to possess dealing with his allegations according to which there is a plot to assassinate him and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora,” the official Syrian news agency Sana said.

The official also questioned why “Saad Hariri has not presented this information before the local, Arab and international public,” the agency reported.

Hariri made the claim in Cairo on Tuesday in response to a question about alleged assassination plots against Lebanese leaders by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law and head of intelligence Assef Shawqat.

Several anti-Syrian figures have been assassinated in Lebanon since Hariri's own father and former premier Rafik was killed in a February 2005 bombing.

Many Lebanese blamed Damascus for the murders, but Syria has denied any involvement. -AFP