The bodies of four Syrians who had been arrested were found Saturday with signs of torture in restive Homs province, activists said, urging a visiting Arab League team to document the cases.

"The corpses of four citizens were found this morning in the streets of the town of Hula and a fifth citizen was found in a critical condition," said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Christians began flocking to Bethlehem early on Saturday to celebrate Christmas following a tumultuous year of political upheaval and change across the Arab world.

As day broke on this not-so-little-town which lies just a few miles south of Jerusalem, locals began gearing up to welcome thousands of pilgrims who come to see the spot where biblical tradition says Jesus was born to a young couple visiting from Nazareth.

The U.N. Security Council on Friday condemned suicide attacks in the Syrian capital but remained deadlocked on a full resolution on the crisis with the Russian and U.S. ambassadors trading personal barbs.

Russian envoy Vitaly Churkin hit out at what he called the "Stanford dictionary of expletives" used against him by U.S. ambassador Susan Rice.

Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced Friday the freezing of assets of more Syrians loyal to President Bashar al-Assad's regime, as well as a beefed-up trade ban.

"Canada will continue to put the squeeze on the Assad regime," Baird said. "We will not sit idly by, not while Assad and his thugs continue to violate the rights of the Syrian people."

Iran on Saturday began 10 days of wargames around the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route in the Gulf through which more than a third of the world's ship-borne oil passes.

The Velayat-90 military exercises, announced Thursday by navy chief Admiral Habibollah Sayari, kicked off as planned, Iran's Arabic-language broadcaster al-Alam reported.

The Israeli army shot a Palestinian demonstrator in the leg during clashes in the West Bank on Friday, lightly wounding him, an Agence France Presse correspondent and the Israeli military said.

"During a violent and illegal riot which took place today in Nabi Saleh, .22 caliber rounds were used in order to disperse it, while targeting one exceptionally violent rioter," a military spokesman told AFP.

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon is "gravely concerned" at escalating violence in Syria but the onus is on President Bashar al-Assad to fully carry out an Arab League peace plan, a spokesman said Friday.

Ban spoke out as the U.N. Security Council stepped up wrangling over a resolution on the Syria crisis. While the United Nations says more than 5,000 people have been killed in the government crackdown, the Security Council has failed to agree any formal resolution on Syria.

Britain said on Friday suicide bombings in Syria that killed at least 40 people must not undermine an Arab League plan aimed at ending the bloodshed.

"I condemn the bomb attacks in central Damascus today and regret the loss of life and injury I have heard reported," said Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt in a statement.

Thousands gathered peacefully in Cairo's Tahrir Square Friday to denounce the ruling military after soldiers were filmed beating female protesters during deadly clashes that sparked international outrage.

Supporters of the military, which took power after an uprising ousted veteran president Hosni Mubarak in February, held a counter-rally in the Abbasiya neighborhood, several kilometers away.

Bahraini riot police on Friday fired tear gas and rubber bullets at demonstrators gathered in the headquarters of the main Shiite opposition group, Al-Wefaq, the group said, adding that some were wounded.

"Security forces fired directly at the premises of the group ... where several leaders and members had gathered," said Al-Wefaq, which has its main office in the outskirts of Manama.