Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed "diabolical" and "treacherous" Arab countries for a protracted surge in nationwide violence in a speech on Sunday, but stopped short of naming individual countries.

The premier said suicide bombers were coming to Iraq from as far afield as Morocco, Libya and Yemen, but did not single out countries he described as "evil" which he said were supporting violent extremists in Iraq.

Egypt's foreign ministry said it summoned Qatar's ambassador on Saturday in protest at Doha's criticism of the military-installed government's crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated following the Egyptian military's overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi and a deadly crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood movement, which Qatar backs.

A Beirut car bomb that killed an anti-Syria politician underscores how Lebanon has become a "microcosm of regional conflicts", with violence escalating as Damascus and its ally Tehran become more emboldened, analysts say.

Friday's bombing that killed seven people including Mohammed Shatah, a voice of moderation and a Sunni member of Lebanon's anti-Syria March 14 coalition, will also further fuel Saudi-Iranian animosity, the experts say.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Friday "strongly" condemned the car bomb blast in Beirut that killed six people, including former finance minister Mohammed Shatah.

Saudi Arabia "has followed with great concern and disturbance the outrageous terrorist bombing" that rocked the Lebanese capital, said a statement on the official SPA news agency.

A delegations from al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc Christian lawmakers will head on a trip to several countries to address the conditions of Christians in war-torn Syria amid the dangers confronting them.

Al-Mustaqbal MP Atef Majdalani said in comments published in An Nahar newspaper on Friday that the decision was taken by the bloc and will be implemented as soon as possible.

A Qatari activist pledged on Monday to challenge his U.S. Treasury designation last week as an al-Qaida supporter, insisting his organization focuses on rights violations.

Abdul Rahman al-Naimi, the founder and head of the Geneva-based Alkarama Foundation, told reporters in Doha he was "innocent" and that he would take "legal measures to counter the U.S. accusations".

Migrants who have worked for nearly a year without pay on a Qatar skyscraper are facing "severe foot shortages" and cannot leave or seek other employment, Amnesty International said Wednesday.

Qatar has come under mounting criticism from rights groups, particularly after being chosen to host the 2022 World Cup, which has spotlighted the conditions of migrant workers in the gas-rich monarchy's booming construction industry.

Qatar has sewn a flag large enough to cover seven football pitches, claiming a Guinness Book record, as the Gulf emirate celebrates its national day, local press said Monday.

Al-Sharq newspaper reported on its website that the fabric used for Qatar's flag was imported on board three planes, it said.

Hizbullah deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem and newly-appointed Qatari Ambassador to Lebanon Ali bin Hamad al-Marri stressed on Monday the importance of political solutions to regional crises, announced the party in a statement.

It said: “Political solutions are key to ending disputes in the region.”

Democracy activists on Monday urged the Gulf Arab monarchies to undertake wide-ranging political reforms including the establishment of elected parliaments and constitutions and allowing political parties.

"The Gulf people should be allowed to elect their representatives in a democratic way and through a direct ballot," said the liberal Gulf Forum for Civil Societies.