International
Armed men have killed five Egyptian soldiers in an attack on a military checkpoint near the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya, security officials said.
Monday's attack took place north of the city, where fighters have repeatedly targeted security forces in recent weeks, the officials said.
In a separate incident, officials said a massive explosion, possibly from a car bomb, hit the security headquarters in a southern Sinai town, killing three people and wounding 47.
The security officials said the attack in the town of al-Tour significantly damaged the four-story building and set off small fires.
They said the death toll was likely to rise as rescue workers and residents search for victims under the rubble.
Fighters, some with al-Qaeda links, have been targeting security forces daily in northern Sinai in what has increasingly become a full-fledged insurgency.
The northern Sinai, which adjoins Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, has long been a haven for armed groups. The Egyptian military has stepped up its offensive there since supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted in a July 3 military coup, began stepping up attacks, likely in response to Morsi's removal. His ouster was preceded by demonstrations in which protesters disgruntled with his Islamist policies demanded that he be removed from office.
But the southern part of the strategic peninsula, which includes the popular diving resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, has been peaceful.
In yet another security incident, an Amaadi Satellite Earth station in Cairo was hit by an rocket-propelled grenade attack on Monday.
Over the weekend mass demonstrations against the military-backed government left at least 53 dead and 268 injured across Egypt, according to the government's Health Ministry.
Wire services
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