Israeli officials called on Sunday for relations with Egypt to return to normal despite Friday's attack by a mob on Israel's embassy in Cairo.

"We shall do everything in order that relations between the two countries will return to normal," Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, considered close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told public radio.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his country's commitment to peace with Egypt on Saturday, after a mob attacked Israel's embassy in Cairo.

"We are committed to preserving peace with Egypt, which is in the interest of Egypt and Israel," Netanyahu said in a radio address.

Israel said on Saturday its ambassador to Egypt, Yitzhak Levanon, will return to Cairo when security of the embassy of the Jewish state is guaranteed by the Arab nation.

Levanon will take his post again "as as soon as the security of the embassy is provided by Egypt," government spokesman Ron Sofer told army radio after Levanon and other diplomats returned home following an attack on their mission in Cairo Friday.

Yemen's army has freed the southern city of Zinjibar, overrun by al-Qaida suspects in May, and ended a siege of an army base there, state news agency Saba quoted Yemeni officials as saying Saturday.

"The heroes of the security and armed forces and the loyal tribesmen have managed to kick out al-Qaida gangs from Zinjibar," Saba quoted the governor of Abyan province, Saleh Hussein al-Zoary, as saying.

Syrian President Bashar Assad urged on Saturday Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi against falling victim to misleading campaigns aimed at creating incitement against Syria, reported the official Syrian news agency SANA.

Al-Arabi affirmed that the Arab League and Arab countries are committed to Syria's security and stability, it added.

International institutions agreed Saturday to raise their financial support to Arab nations in transition to democracy to $38 billion, France's finance minister said.

Nine international institutions agreed at a G8 meeting in Marseille to "bring the financial aid available to $38 billion in the period 2011-2013 to Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Jordan", Francois Baroin said.

Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces rejected on Saturday the resignation of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf over protestors’ attack against the Israeli Embassy in Egypt, reported al-Arabiya television.

Three people were killed in clashes overnight between police and protesters outside the embassy in Cairo, and a fourth died of a heart attack, Egyptian hospital sources said on Saturday.

Syrian forces killed 16 people Saturday, activists said, as they tried to crush anti-regime dissent as Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi met President Bashar al-Assad to broker an end to the bloodshed.

Arabi carried a 13-point document outlining Arab proposals to halt the deadly crackdown, hold elections and push for reforms in the League member state.

The head of Libya's new leadership, National Transitional Council chief Mustafa Abdul Jalil, landed in the port city of Misrata on Saturday, AFP correspondents witnessed, en route to Tripoli.

His visit to Tripoli was to be his first visit since NTC fighters seized the capital and ousted Moammar Gadhafi.

Israel's ambassador to Egypt left the country on board an airplane bound to Israel on Saturday after protesters raided a building housing the embassy in Cairo and dumped its documents from a balcony, airport sources said.

Ambassador Yitzhak Levanon boarded the plane with his security detail and five bags of luggage, the sources said.