An Egyptian soldier was shot dead and two others were wounded in two separate attacks in the Sinai Peninsula on Monday, security officials said.

Gunmen shot at an army checkpoint outside a military building in the north Sinai town of El-Arish, killing one soldier.

Iraqi forces killed six suspected al-Qaida militants during an operation north of Baghdad on Monday, while two soldiers and seven civilians died in attacks, officials said.

Security forces, who have so far failed to stem the worst violence to hit Iraq in five years, have launched operations targeting militants in various areas in recent days, including in the Baghdad region.

The Syrian colonel is still astounded. He was directing operations from the second floor of building when he heard gunfire -- rebels had penetrated his headquarters via an underground tunnel.

"One floor closer and I wouldn't be here to describe the attack," he said.

Rebels fighting troops loyal to Syria's President Bashar Assad clashed with the army Monday as they pushed an advance into the coastal province of Latakia, a monitoring group said.

The clashes in the western province come a day after rebels seized five majority Alawite villages in the area, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Iran's supreme leader on Monday appointed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the Expediency Council, the country's top political arbitration body headed by an avid critic of the outgoing president.

In announcing the appointment, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised Ahmadinejad's "worthy efforts" as president.

President Hassan Rowhani's cabinet lineup drew a mixed response from Iran's press Monday, with moderate and reformists papers hailing the team's breadth of experience while conservative outlets questioned the inclusion of "notorious" figures.

The male-only cabinet unveiled late on Sunday by the new president features experienced figures from across Iran's complex political spectrum.

Syrian Defense Minister Fahd al-Freij visited army troops in Khaldiyeh, a Homs district the army won back from rebel control in late July, state news agency SANA said on Monday.

The general conducted "a tour of Khaldiyeh, where he visited the army units that had restored security and stability in the neighborhood," SANA said.

Britain said Monday its embassy in Yemen would remain closed until the end of the Muslim festival of Eid later this week, after the United States extended the closure of its own embassies over fears of an al-Qaida attack.

"Due to continuing security concerns, the British embassy will remain closed until the end of Eid," the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Veteran Middle East diplomat Robert Ford is Secretary of State John Kerry's choice to be the next U.S. ambassador to Egypt, the New York Times reported Monday.

Ford is best known for actively challenging Syrian President Bashar Assad and meeting with protesters when he was the U.S. ambassador in Damascus 2011-2012. He was withdrawn when security markedly deteriorated in the war-torn country.

Ballistic missiles used by the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad are killing many civilians, including children, an international rights group said on Monday.

These missiles "are hitting populated areas, causing large numbers of civilian deaths, including many children,”said Human Rights Watch, which has investigated nine ballistic missile strikes that killed at least 215 people in six months.