Bulent Arinc, the deputy prime minister of Turkey, said investigators had established links between an intelligence agency of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the deadly car bombs.

The explosions which were set off near the municipality occurred on Saturday in a crowded area of the small town of Reyhanli in the southern Turkish province of Hatay, just a few kilometres from the main border crossing into Syria.

The blasts were likely caused by two cars filled with explosives, Interior Minister Muammer Guler told reporters after the attacks, but other reports indicated that there were three or more explosions.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the blasts are not a coincidence warning against provocations amid changes in neighboring Syria, Hurriyet daily reported.

“Such provocation can [come to mind] in such a critical transition phase regarding Syria. It is not a coincidence that this happened when diplomatic traffic is intensifying. We invite our citizens to be prudent. The incident will be investigated,” Davutoglu told reporters during his Germany visit.

UN leader Ban Ki-moon and John Kerry, the US secretary of state, both strongly condemned the bombings.

“This awful news strikes an especially personal note for all of us given how closely we work in partnership with Turkey, and how many times Turkey’s been a vital interlocutor at the center of my work as Secretary of State these last three months. Our thoughts are with the wounded and we extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” Kerry said.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the attack and expressed the hope that the perpetrators of the attack will be swiftly identified and brought to justice.

“The Secretary-General condemns all acts of terrorism and reiterates that no cause or grievance ever justifies the targeting of civilians,” the statement said, adding that Mr. Ban sends his deepest condolences to the victims and their families, as well as to the Turkish Government and people, and wishes those injured a speedy recovery,” a statement by his office said.

Several car bombs exploded across the Iraqi capital, including in busy outdoor market areas. At least 20 people were killed and scores more were wounded in the attacks, which reportedly targeted mainly Shia areas.

“Once again, innocent civilians going about their daily business have been targeted, bringing great grief to their families and communities. Nothing can justify these terrorist attacks,” said Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

“All Iraqi leaders have a responsibility to stand up against these atrocious crimes targeting the social fabric of the country.”

Meanwhile, attackers bombed and disabled a pipeline carrying fuel oil from Iraq’s largest refinery to a province north of Baghdad, the oil ministry said on Sunday, Reuters reported.

“A bomb attack led to an explosion in the 16-inch pipeline transporting fuel oil from Baji refinery to Nineveh province,” said ministry spokesman Asim Jihad.

No-one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Sunday’s blasts follow assassination of the head of Iraq’s intelligence academy, Ali Aouni officer on Saturday who died in a suicide blast in the northern town of Tal Afar.

Earlier this month, at least 25 people died and about 100 were injured in a wave of car bombings in mainly Shia areas of Iraq.

Thousands of Sunnis have held demonstrations in several cities since December, accusing the Shia-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki of monopolising power.

The three vehicles were part of a four-vehicle convoy of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS), which was in Khan Cheikhoun, when an improvised explosive device was detonated around mid-afternoon local time, Ahmad Fawzi, the spokesperson for the Joint Special Envoy for the UN and the League of Arab States for the Syrian crisis, Kofi Annan, told reporters in Geneva today.

“Three UN vehicles were damaged, no UN personnel were injured,” Mr. Fawzi said in response to questions. “The Mission has sent a patrol team to the area to extract the UN military observers.”

The crisis in Syria, which began in March 2011 as a protest movement similar to those across the Middle East and North Africa, has claimed over 9,000 lives, mostly civilians, and displaced tens of thousands.

On Wednesday last week, a bomb blast went off in the vicinity of a convoy of UNSMIS observers, which had been approaching the southern city of Dar’a. The blast injured several Syrian soldiers accompanying the delegation.

Authorized by the Council last month under resolution 2043, UNSMIS is tasked with monitoring the cessation of violence in Syria and supporting the full implementation of Mr. Annan’s six-point plan.

The plan calls for an end to violence, access for humanitarian agencies to provide relief to those in need, the release of detainees, the start of inclusive political dialogue that takes into account the aspirations of the Syrian people, and unrestricted access to the country for the international media.