The top U.S. general on Monday discussed the Syrian crisis with officials in Ankara, as Turkey's premier criticized Washington for inaction over the conflict.

General Martin Dempsey's visit is part of an "operational planning" mechanism established between Turkey and the United States to prepare for the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar Assad's embattled regime.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel questioned on Monday Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's call for protests against the anti-Islam film that sparked outrage in the Muslim world, noting that he made the announcement shortly after Pope Benedict XVI ended his trip to Lebanon.

He said during a press conference: “Nasrallah ended the accord, reached during the pontiff's visit, through this call for demonstrations.”

Foreign ministers of the Syria "contact group" were to hold their first high-level meeting on Monday in Cairo, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said.

The top diplomats of "Egypt, Turkey and Iran will meet at the foreign ministry to discuss developments in Syria on the political and humanitarian fronts," the ministry said in a statement.

President Michel Suleiman held talks on Monday with the Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Rokn-Abadi on recent statements that members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards are present in Lebanon.

He requested from the ambassador an official clarification from the Islamic republic over these remarks.

The U.N. Security Council should refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, an international rights watchdog said on Monday.

"An ICC referral would give the ICC jurisdiction to investigate crimes committed by both the government and the opposition," Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

An increasing number of "foreign elements" including jihadis are now operating in Syria, an independent U.N. panel confirmed Monday in its first report to say that outside "terrorists" have joined a war spiraling out of control.

The investigative panel appointed by the Human Rights Council says some of these forces are joining armed anti-government groups while others are operating on their own.

Fighting raged in Syria's second city Aleppo on Monday amid a disputed claim that the army had managed to seize the strategic district of Midan from rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The army clashed with rebel fighters in several districts of the northern city, which has been the site of fierce fighting since July 20, the Observatory said.

The international peace envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, was to hold talks in Cairo on Monday with Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi following his trip to Damascus, the organisation said on Monday.

"Brahimi will brief Arabi on his visit to Syria and his meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad and members of the opposition there," an Arab League official said.

The foreign ministers of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey are to hold their first high-level meeting on the Syria conflict on Monday in Cairo, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was also to speak with Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi in a separate bilateral meeting during his visit to Cairo, it added.

International peace envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi departed Damascus on Sunday after a four-day visit during which he met with President Bashar Assad, an AFP correspondent reported.

The veteran Algerian diplomat was seen leaving his hotel accompanied by Syria's deputy foreign minster Faisal Muqdad, and a U.N. official confirmed he was departing the country.