Lebanon faces a political impasse after Hezbollah and its allies toppled the government over a United Nations-backed tribunal.

Suspected al-Qaeda militants blew up two minarets of a revered Shi'ite mosque in the Iraqi city of Samarra on Wednesday, targeting a shrine bombed last year in an attack that unleashed a wave of sectarian killing. Fearing renewed bloodshed, Iraq's government imposed an indefinite curfew in Baghdad as Shi'ite and Sunni political and religious leaders called for calm.

Six car bombs killed at least 19 people across Baghdad on Thursday as Iraq's prime minister urged the United States to give Iraqi forces more weapons and said he could bring security in three to six months if they did. Three bombs in quick succession killed at least 10 people and wounded 30 in a wholesale vegetable market in the violent southern district of Dora, police said.

Syrians have voted in elections touted by authorities as a political milestone but dismissed by opposition as a facade as people are killed daily.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned the West his nation would not tolerate any interference, saying that unrest had become more militant.

Lebanon faces a political impasse after Hezbollah and its allies toppled the government over a United Nations-backed tribunal.

Syrian forces killed at least eight people when they opened fire to disperse protests against President Bashar al-Assad after Friday prayers.

Syrian forces killed at least 63 civilians in attacks to crush pro-democracy demonstrations on Friday, the human rights organisation Sawasiah said.