French Ambassador to Lebanon Patrice Paoli hailed on Saturday the Lebanese democracy and coexistence, which became a model in the region.

“Lebanon’s democracy, freedom and coexistence among its citizens became a model in the region, in addition to the stability it witnessed during the recent months,” Paoli said in a ceremony held in Kasr al-Sanawbar on the occasion of French Bastille Day.

A reconnaissance plane crashed in the town of Younine in Baalbek, the National News Agency reported on Saturday.

According to the news agency, the residents of the town spotted an aircraft on fire, which was falling from the sky.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel delegated anew a security official to Turkey to address the case of the abducted Lebanese pilgrims in Syria, the Central News Agency reported on Saturday.

According to the news agency, the kidnappers expressed readiness to free six out of the eleven Lebanese pilgrims until investigations with the rest are complete.

The military examining magistrate issued on Saturday arrest warrants against three army officers, who were released last week, in the case of the killing of Sunni Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahed and his companion.

Judge Riyad Abu Ghida questioned the three officers and rearrested them, the National News Agency reported.

Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan called on Saturday for a referendum on the army’s role in Lebanon following severe criticism by the March 14 opposition.

The exceptional referendum should be “on the preservation of the army as the defender of the nation and the citizens” and should lead to a “positive shock,” Arslan said in a press conference.

Cyprus police have detained a young Lebanese man who holds a Saudi passport on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack against Israeli interests in the country, media reports said on Saturday.

A police spokesman said he could not deny or confirm the reports because it was a "sensitive political issue.”

The house of a Lebanese man was damaged by cross-border fire in the northern area of Wadi Khaled at dawn Saturday, a day after the army began heavily deploying on the northern and northeastern boundary with Syria.

Several bullets hit the house of Mohammed Abadi after gunfire reached the villages of Hnaider, al-Hishe and al-Muqaibla in Wadi Khaled. But no casualties were reported.

A Lebanese woman in Quebec, who has been accused of supplying weapons parts to Lebanon, is now facing a terrorism charge, the national news agency, The Canadian Press, said.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Friday the charge follows an investigation that alleges Mouna Diab committed offences for the benefit of a contact linked to Hizbullah which is considered a terrorist organization in Canada.

Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour revealed Saturday that Premier Najib Miqati ordered the Higher Relief Council to cover the medical assistance of several Syrian refugees in northern Lebanon despite the suspension of the aid.

In remarks to An Nahar daily, Abou Faour said Miqati issued a circular on Friday night asking the HRC to cover the hospital bills of urgent cases pending a meeting next week with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The Army’s Intelligence Branch informed Palestinian factions in the northern refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared that it cancelled the so-called permit system imposed on the residents of the shantytown, An Nahar daily reported.

Army sources told An Nahar that the new measure will be implemented in mid-July in accordance with an agreement reached between the military leadership and the Palestinian factions.