Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday that weapons manufactured and delivered to "dictators" by the United States were killing protesters in uprisings around the Arab world.

The hardliner said that the United States and its allies must be blamed for imposing dictatorships on regional countries now in the grip of deadly revolts.

Israel's defense minister said Monday his country must look beyond the risks that might arise from the changes sweeping the Mideast and seek opportunities to move peacemaking forward — including possible peace talks with Syria.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio that Syria appears to be signaling it might be willing to reach an accord.

Omani police shot dead two demonstrators on Sunday as the deadly wave of protests rocking the Arab world spread to the normally placid pro-Western sultanate, a security official said.

The protests in Sohar, more than 200 kilometers northwest of Muscat, prompted Sultan Qaboos to introduce swift appeasing measures, including the provision of jobs for 50,000 citizens and unemployment benefits.

Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi on Sunday dismissed U.N. sanctions as invalid and claimed calm had returned to Libya as the territories held by the opposition were surrounded.

In a rare statement to foreign media broadcast on Serbian television, Gadhafi also blamed al-Qaida extremists for the killings since the anti-regime protests began around February 15.

The United States said Sunday it was prepared to offer "any kind of assistance" to Libyans seeking to overthrow the regime of strongman Moammer Gadhafi as they set up a transitional body.

As forces opposed to the longest-serving Arab leader took control of several western Libyan towns, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton echoed the calls of world leaders, including President Barack Obama, for him to quit.

Tunisian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi resigned Sunday and was replaced by Beji Caid Essebsi, a former minister, after anti-government protests left five people dead over the weekend.

"I have decided to quit as prime minister," Ghannouchi told a news conference, saying that he thought carefully before taking the decision which was supported by his family.

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit Israeli territory on Sunday morning, raising Israel's alert level but causing no damage or casualties, according to Israel's military and police.

The latest rocket, which the military's spokeswoman said struck a field in the Eshkol region in southern Israel, comes after a string of Israeli air raids targeting militant training camps across the Gaza Strip on Saturday night.

Iraq's prime minister warned his cabinet on Sunday to shape up within 100 days or face "changes" as a third provincial governor stepped down following massive nationwide demonstrations.

Nuri al-Maliki's remarks came as protest organizers called for a fresh set of rallies on Friday, March 4, to mark a year since landmark parliamentary elections that led to nine months of political impasse, with several key ministerial posts still unfilled.

The U.N. Security Council moved as a powerful bloc Saturday to try to halt Libyan leader Moammer Gadhafi's deadly crackdown on protesters, slapping sanctions on him, his children and top associates.

Voting 15-0 after daylong discussions interrupted with breaks to consult with capitals back home, the council imposed an arms embargo and urged U.N. member countries to freeze the assets of Gadhafi, four of his sons and a daughter. The council also backed a travel ban on the Gadhafi family and close associates, including leaders of the revolutionary committees accused of much of the violence against opponents.

Opposition leader Hassan Mashaima returned to Bahrain from self-imposed exile on Saturday, as thousands of demonstrators marched in the capital Manama to demand the Sunni rulers stand down.

"The time has come for true unity and our priority today is for the opposition to sit down with the protesters at Pearl Square and clearly set our demands," Mashaima, who had been in Britain, told reporters at his home.