Iraqi officials have expressed outrage at the United States' use of a small fleet of surveillance drones to help protect the U.S. embassy, consulates and American personnel in Iraq, The New York Times reported late Sunday.

The newspaper said the State Department began operating some drones in Iraq last year on a trial basis and stepped up their use after the last U.S. troops left the country in December.

Troops at the headquarters of Yemen's elite Republican Guard opened fire on Sunday at a protest by soldiers demanding the ouster of their brigade chief over corruption charges, a military source said.

Soldiers from the fourth brigade of the Republican Guard were demanding the removal of Abdul Malek al-Arar and another top officer named Abdullah al-Hamiya, the source said, adding that no casualties were reported in the shooting.

One of the most sophisticated drones in the Israeli military crashed by accident in a field on Sunday, without causing casualties, an army spokeswoman said.

"An Eytan (meaning "strong" in Hebrew) crashed by accident into a field today in Israel during a test being carried out jointly by the army and Israel Aerospace Industries. There were no injuries," the spokeswoman told Agence France Presse.

Bahraini detainees and activists convicted for taking part in anti-government demonstrations last year will begin a hunger strike Sunday protesting a new crackdown on demonstrators, a rights group said.

The strike was announced as the Gulf kingdom's interior minister called for punishment against those "attacking policemen" to be toughened to 15 years in prison.

A secular bloc which won the most seats in Iraq's March 2010 vote will end a boycott of parliament that it began in mid-December, a spokeswoman said on Sunday.

"Iraqiya decided its deputies would return for parliament meetings," Maysoon al-Damluji told a news conference after a gathering of Iraqiya leaders and MPs.

Iranian lawmakers on Sunday delayed taking action on a proposed bill to immediately cut oil exports to Europe in retaliation for an EU oil embargo, the parliament's energy commission said.

"No bill has been designed nor has it come to the parliament," commission spokesman Emad Hosseini told Mehr news agency.

Jordanian police in the southern city of Tafileh fired tear gas on Sunday to disperse angry stone-throwing demonstrators who called on authorities to make good on their promise of jobs, the governor said.

"Scores of unemployed men blocked the main road in the city, throwing stones at government buildings as well as police," Hashem Sehiem told the state-run Petra news agency.

Candidates contesting a general election in Kuwait this week are calling for sweeping reforms including a new constitution that would turn the oil-rich Gulf state into a full democracy.

Their demands range from the establishment of a Western-style, multi-party system, an elected government and a constitutional monarchy, effectively limiting powers enjoyed by the ruling al-Sabah family.

Israel laid out a vision for an "impossible" border during exploratory talks with the Palestinians in Amman this month, a Palestinian official told Agence France Presse on Sunday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Israeli officials presented principles for their policy on future borders during the final round of the discussions organized by Jordan and the peacemaking Quartet.

Fierce clashes approached the Syrian capital on Sunday as fresh violence across the country killed at least 59 civilians, 31 regime troops and nine army deserters, according to activists.

Regime forces fired heavy artillery and mortar rounds against the Damascus suburbs of Douma, Saqba, Irbin and Hamouriyeh and were locked in close battle with rebel fighters emboldened by a fresh wave of desertions, activists said.