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.

U.S. President Barack Obama has imposed personal sanctions on Libya's Moammar Gadhafi and four of his sons, in a clear attempt to further weaken his teetering regime and punish brutal assaults against his people.

Obama wielded presidential power in an executive order Friday to seize the assets of Gadhafi and named family members in the United States and globally within the auspices of U.S. financial institutions, saying the "human dignity" of Libyans "cannot be denied."

Israeli warplanes bombed two training camps of the hardline Islamic Jihad group in the Gaza Strip early on Saturday, Palestinian sources and the Israeli army said. No casualties were reported.

The jets hit two sites, one in the southern town of Khan Yunis and another near Nusseirat in the center of the Hamas-ruled territory, security officials said.

Russia announced Saturday that it intended to fulfill its contract to supply Syria with supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles despite furious condemnation of the deal by Israel.

"The contract is in the implementation stage," news agencies quoted Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov as saying.

Police gunfire killed four people as the biggest protests yet swept impoverished Yemen, demanding that President Ali Abdullah Saleh step down after three decades in power.

At least 19 people have now been killed in almost daily clashes at anti-regime protests since February 16, according to an AFP tally based on reports by medics and witnesses as calls gather steam for Saleh quit.