CAIRO — Witnesses say Egyptian security forces have clashed with dozens of protesters in front of the Syrian Embassy in Cairo, chanting against the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

A security official says seven protesters were arrested and 16 people were injured, including soldiers, in the stone-throwing clash Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

Protesters chanted, "down with the Bashar [Assad] regime." They tried but failed to break through the security cordon surrounding the embassy building to hang a Free Syrian Army flag and take down the official one, witnesses said.

Clashes then spread to nearby U.S. Embassy.

During the 17-month-Syrian uprising, anti-Assad protests in Cairo have been relatively small. Egypt has hosted conferences of Syrian opposition groups.