Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji expressed gratitude on Thursday for the support that Saudi Arabia offers to Lebanon and in particular the military, considering it to be the main reason behind “thwarting conspiracy schemes and maintaining stability in Lebanon.”

“The generous aid (for the Lebanese army) came at the appropriate time,” Qahwaji said in an interview with the Saudi newspaper Okaz.

Two French peacekeepers in the crisis-hit Central African Republic were injured following an attack by armed fighters, France's military command said on Wednesday.

The northern town of Batangafo has become a flashpoint of violence in recent days, with clashes on Monday leaving several members of the Seleka militia dead.

Jihadists have launched fresh attacks on Christian areas in north Iraq, sparking a new wave of displacement, the country's Chaldean patriarch and witnesses said Wednesday.

Towns shelled in the past few days by Islamic State (IS) militants include Tal Kayf, Bartella and Qaraqosh, according to Christian sources.

Dozens of mainly African migrants were hurt Tuesday in fresh clashes in the French port of Calais, as a new report warned of a dramatic rise in illegal immigration to Europe.

Police reinforcements were called in the early hours of Tuesday to break up running battles between hundreds of mainly Eritrean and Sudanese migrants that left 51 people injured.

France said Tuesday it would move quickly to answer a call from Lebanon for faster arms deliveries as it battles Islamist militants on the Syrian border.

"France is fully committed to supporting the Lebanese army, a pillar of stability and unity in Lebanon," deputy foreign ministry spokesman Vincent Floreani said.

Army chief General Jean Qahwaji urged France on Tuesday to speed up the delivery of weapons under a Saudi-financed deal, as his troops battle jihadists on the Syrian border.

"This battle requires equipment, materiel and technology that the army doesn't have," Qahwaji told Agence France Presse.

A Frenchman in his 70s, his 69-year-old wife and their 40-year-old daughter were killed Monday when a motorist armed with a gun opened fire on their car in northern France, officials said.

The gunman fled the scene after the shooting, which took place late afternoon next to a busy square in the town of Grande-Synthe, near Dunkirk.

Israel and the Palestinians have agreed a new 72-hour Gaza ceasefire that would start at 0500 GMT Tuesday, said a senior official in Egypt, which is hosting truce talks.

"Egypt's contacts with relevant parties have achieved a commitment for a 72-hour truce in Gaza starting from 0500 GMT tomorrow morning, and an agreement for the rest of the relevant delegations to come to Cairo to conduct further negotiations," the official told Agence France-Presse.

A French Mirage fighter jet crashed in an uninhabited area during a training exercise on Monday but the two pilots ejected safely, the air force said.

Israel's right to security does not justify its actions in Gaza, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Monday, as he called for a political solution to be "imposed" by the international community.