Former Arab League diplomat reports Gadhafi and followers are confined to two barracks in Tripoli; protesters are reportedly hunkering down after warnings by government loyalists that anyone in streets will be shot.

Two Iranian warships reportedly entered the Suez Canal, the first to pass through since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Israeli President Shimon Peres arrived on Monday in Spain for a four-day visit as a guest of King Juan Carlos I in order to mark 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Spain.

Hundreds of demonstrators still gathered at Pearl roundabout in Manama, as protest against government enters ninth day.

Protesters take over office of two state-run satellite news channels, set major government building on fire in Libya capital as violence escalates on 7th day of protests.

Chile and Israel both expressed concern over growing ties between Venezuela and Iran, and well as the potential Iranian presence on border between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, cable says.

EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels Monday to discuss the uprisings across North Africa and the Gulf and are expected to focus on Egypt and on Libya where there have been days of protests against President Muammar Gadhafi's 40-year rule.

Yet the road to liberalization of the Egyptian spirit, and its markets, lies in harms way because of genuine fear amongst states in the region and the democratic states: the possibility that Egypt will become an Islamic Republic as it happened in Iran, merely 3 decades ago, still burns in the Western democracies flesh.

Appearing on Libyan state television, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi says his father is in the country and has support of army.

Israel is following the movement of the warships closely, although it does not believe the Iranian vessels have hostile intentions toward Israel.