Turkey searched for a missing fighter-jet and held an emergency security summit Friday, as the prime minister backed off reported comments suggesting Syria had downed the aircraft.

The military plane -- reportedly an F-4 Phantom with two pilots aboard -- lost radio contact and vanished off radar screens around 0900 GMT over the eastern Mediterranean, near the border with Syria.

Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea said Wednesday that the “government is leaving the army without a policy or plan to confront security events,” adding that Energy Minister Jebran Bassil “should resign if he cannot address the electricity issue.”

At a press conference held in Maarab, Geagea said that “the electricity shortage is unacceptable and Lebanon did not witness such a blackout in all areas, even during war.”

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, said Tuesday that the security events recently witnessed in Lebanon “are not coincidences because there are internal sides contributing to sow chaos,” adding that “blocking roads to protest electric shortages is useless.”

After the Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting at Rabiyeh, Aoun said that “the security events taking place are not considered a coincidence because certain sides are seeking to sow chaos in the streets,” warning the Lebanese to be aware of such attempts.

The case of Lebanese interpreter Helen Assaf, who was detained in Libya on June 7, could witness a breakthrough soon as international sides are exerting efforts to release her along with 3 other International Criminal Court members.

Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr said on Tuesday that the International Criminal Court team held in Libya could be freed if the ICC apologizes to Tripoli over "inadequate consultation.”

Four rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) hit Monday the northern town of Bqaiaa-Akkar during clashes inside the Syrian territory, National News Agency reported.

Heavy gunfire was heard in the Masharfeh town in Syria, parallel to the northern town of Wadi Khaled, sparking panic among residents who said that bullets were hitting public roads, NNA added.

Most of Lebanon plunged into darkness on Monday after the Zahrani, Deir Amar and Zouk power plants disconnected from the distribution network, causing power outages across the country.

LBC television said “power generation units have disconnected from the distribution network for unidentified reasons and efforts are underway to reconnect them.”

At least one Palestinian was killed and several people, including three Lebanese soldiers, were wounded on Monday in clashes that erupted between the Lebanese army and residents of the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared during the funeral of Ahmed Qassem, who was killed during unrest at the camp on Friday.

An official speaking on condition of anonymity told Agence France Presse that "one Palestinian refugee was killed and seven others were wounded" by gunfire.

Information obtained by Naharnet said that King Abdullah will chair the Allegiance Council in the upcoming two days to choose the new crown prince after the death of Nayef bin Abdulaziz on Saturday in Geneva.

Reports said that prince Salman, the half-brother of the prince Nayef and who is the current defense minister, appears to be a strong candidate.

The former chief of the main opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) on Saturday urged the United Nations to deploy peacekeepers after U.N. observers suspended their mission in the country.

"We have to send U.N. peacekeepers to Syria on a mission with more people who would be able to protect themselves from the violence of the regime," said Burhan Ghalioun, ex-leader and current political bureau chief of the SNC.

A Palestinian was killed and three others were wounded on Friday when the Lebanese army opened fire during a spat at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon, a Palestinian source told Agence France Presse.

The violence erupted after the army arrested two Palestinian men who were on a motorcycle and refused to stop at a checkpoint, the source said.