The United States will have to keep up an open-ended drone war against al-Qaida militants in Pakistan and elsewhere to prevent another terror attack on America, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said.

The assassination of al-Qaida figures in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia with unmanned, robotic aircraft has provoked widespread criticism from human rights groups and some U.S. allies, but Panetta said the U.S. campaign has been effective.

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji decided to cut his visit to Paris short after two soldiers and a wanted man were killed in an ambush in the eastern town of Arsal near the border with Syria, al-Akhbar daily reported on Saturday.

The newspaper said that Qahwaji will return to Beirut on Saturday after what a military communique said on Friday a patrol was ambushed by gunmen as it was hunting a man wanted for several terrorist acts.

France's national library said Friday it was prepared to lead an international effort to save centuries-old manuscripts feared destroyed or damaged by Islamists as they were chased out of the northern Malian city of Timbuktu.

The Bibliotheque Nationale "stands ready to come to the aid of the Ahmed Baba Institute, seriously affected by recent events, in agreement with Malian and French authorities, when the situation allows", the library said in a statement.

Amnesty International on Friday called on the French army to launch an independent investigation into the deaths of five civilians killed in a helicopter attack at the start of the Mali campaign.

A report from the London-based rights group also highlighted summary executions by Malian troops and Islamist groups, as well as the Islamists' use of child soldiers.

President Francois Hollande prepared to visit Mali as French-led troops worked Friday to secure the last Islamist stronghold in the north after a lightning offensive against the extremists.

Hollande will visit Mali on Saturday with Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Development Minister Pascal Canin, his office said, three weeks after French troops launched a surprise intervention against Islamists in its former colony.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel criticized on Friday the government's lack of a clear plan to deal with the case of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

He said during his ongoing trip to Paris: “We hope the case of Syrian refugees will not turn into a security risk that will threaten Lebanon's stability.”

Syria's main opposition group was to met Thursday in Cairo, a day after a surprise statement from its chief that he was willing to hold talks with regime officials, a Syrian National Coalition member said.

"This meeting was organized well before the Syrian National Coalition leader, Moaz al-Khatib, made his statement," SNC member Samir Nashar told Agence France Presse.

Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel has said that French President Francois Hollande, who encourages dialogue among the Lebanese, promised him to consolidate his support for Lebanon.

The French “administration is working for Lebanon and the interest of all the Lebanese no matter what their religious or political belongings are,” Gemayel said following his talks with Hollande at the Elysee Palace on Wednesday.

France on Wednesday urged the Malian government to quickly enter into peace talks with Tuareg rebels and other representatives of the population in the north of its former colony.

The call came after a French-led military campaign ousted Islamist groups from the major towns of Mali's desert north, which they had controlled since last April.

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji traveled to Paris on Wednesday to appeal for military aid and discuss ways to improve cooperation between the two countries.

Qahwaji's official visit at the invitation of chief of staff Guillaud Edouard will include talks with top French military officials on measures to provide aid to the Lebanese army.